Enigma Insignia
by Luna25684
Summary: Cardverse AU. Each of the four nations hold a sacred treasure that they must protect, all the while hiding a deep, dark secret within the palace walls that they do don't want others to know about. Each secret different from the other, yet similar in many ways. These secrets were kept well hidden by the Church, but they start to become unravel after the overthrown of Spade's King.
1. Chapter 1

**Full Summery: Cardverse AU. To the East lies the rich lands of Diamonds, the most extravagant of all the four nations and nicknamed "The Land of Light". To the south is the warm country of Hearts, "The Land of Love", know for their kindness and festive cultures. In the west is the agriculture land of Clubs, "The Land of Happiness". And finally, up north lies the cold land of Spades, the country of technology, innovation and scholars. This country is also doubled as "The Land of War". All the nations have a secret that they've been protecting. And all these secrets starts to unravel themselves with the overthrown of Spade's King.**

 **Sorry, I know I have too much dialog. Deal with it. I will try my best to give some descriptions.**

 **Declaimer: I don't owe Hetalia, it belongs to Himaruya Hidekazu.**

* * *

 **Chapter 1:** **Connections**

The blond youth sat alone in the tavern, listening to the ideal cit chats of the people around him.

"It's the King."

"It's all that cursed King's fault."

"If only a new King would rise and take the throne from him. Then we'd be ride of such cruelty."

"But I thought he killed all possible candidates for becoming the next Heir."

The youth let out a smudged laugh, bringing his drink up to his lips.

"No, he hunted down all those with the mark of the next Monarchs, and along the way, killed other innocents as well."

"Oh, how cruel!"

"It's no wonder the Clock won't move."

"But I heard there's a group out there planning for a Revolt. They're going to overthrown the King."

"Oh how-"

"And then what? How are we to survive without a Monarchy? Surely you do not expect the Jack to rule alone. Lord knows that cruel King never found his Queen and actually killed the former High Priestess and his Ace, along with some other noblemen, and all because they've displeased him."

"The former High Priestess! How could he?"

"She would've been Queen."

"She should've been Queen, but the King was fearful of the Mark appearing on her body and got ride of her."

"I thought the Mark did appear on her already."

"But then, why did he kill her? She was so good."

"He never did liked her. Something about blackmail."

"No, he liked her."

"He loved her."

"She was having an affair."

"With the Ace."

"No, she didn't. But he killed her anyway. Such a horrible King."

"I think I shall join the Rebels."

The blond youth smiled, his blue eyes lighting up.

"I don't think he's horrible."

A frown quickly replaced the smile on his handsomely young face.

"I mean, he's keeping the other nobles at bay."

"At bay?"

"Our economy's okay."

"Have you seen the our lives lately?"

"And we haven't been at war with the other countries lately."

"But we-"

"And our alliance with the other countries are good."

"But tension is still blowing. Do not forget all the unreasonable wars with Diamonds. And even though we are trading, it's still tense. And then there was the sudden interventions into the affairs of Hearts with no justified reasons, and there's still tension there too."

"We didn't even gain anything from that. In fact, Hearts has become even stronger then us with its current King in throned. Why did he even let that country go? And he even let Clubs off when we could've just taken them at their weakest hour instead of lend them a hand and then let them exploit us! Just look at how bad we are compared to them! Clubs! Of all country!"

"Come now, my friend, use your brain for once. You are a scholar, surely you understand our King's just decisions."

"Just decision? You call what we are going through now justice?"

"At least it's not bad, if you really think about it."

"Yes, it could've been worse."

"It will be, if we don't do something about it first."

"Why don't we just wait this out until he dies and stop civil war from occurring?"

"But civil war will still be occurring even if we wait and suffer this through until he dies," the youth spoke up, turning his head around to the group behind him, his blue eyes sharp yet still friendly. "Just think about it. No one's on the throne. The country will go into turmoil. There'll be power struggles and confusion everywhere. The country will become weak to outside attacks by then. It's best to do it now rather than wait form him to die. Besides, that King hasn't show his face in over 16 years, you think he really cares? You think he knows what's going on in the country with the his Ace dead, by his own hand? And he no longer consults with the members of court and abuses his powers, unyielding to the Council and the Four Dukedoms, who are suppose to check and balance his powers. Without having to fear and listen to them, he's become an absolute monarchy. He's doing whatever he wants with no restrictions. That's why the nobles and the others wants him gone. Not to mention, the fact that he cruelly killed their family members or those they knew."

"While you are correct, at least he hasn't gone all out yet."

"Yet, but he's somewhere along that line with the King of Clover."

Some people shivered at that. Even though they hadn't experienced it as bad as the people in the country themselves, it was still pretty bad, what the King of Clubs did after losing his wife so suddenly. And it had been the King of Spades who had stepped in and saved the country and their King, and then lunch himself into the affairs of Hearts and it's ragging civil war at the time. While at the same time, juggling relationship with Diamonds and almost starting another war over yet another travel matter, whatever it was at the time.

"Though, it is also quite possible for power struggles to occur even if the Revolutions went through. As you've said, the nobles are becoming rebellious. Who knows, maybe it's not what you think. Maybe the King is actually protecting us, but the nobles are keeping him down."

"That is still a possibility."

"No way, that's impossible!"

The blond smile. He was waiting for this. "Civil war won't happen."

"What makes you say that?"

"Because," said the blond, standing up and walking closer to the group. "Haven't you heard the rumors? They say that the next Heir has been found by the rebels. And it's a King." And with those words, the youth turn and exited the traven, leaving behind a room full of shocked citizens.

"That should do it," said he, stepping out into the cold winter of Spades.

The youth walked in the night street, checking his silver pocket watch to make sure that he still had some time left before he was late. That would not be good.

"M- g-good evening sir," came a small voice in front of him.

The blond looked away from his watch and down at the little black haired girl in front of him, who kept shifting her green eyes from the ground to his face and back again.

He studied her worn and shaking form. Her face was flushed red from the cold, despite the black scarf tied warmly around her neck, covering the lower tip of her scarlet red lip. Her long black hair looked disheveled and one of the red ribbons in her hair was loss. Her clothing looked warn out, with unfixed tears here and there, and she wasn't even wearing shoes.

"The tax," the blond grumbled out through grinned teeth.

The girl flinched at his tone and kept her eyes on the ground, her hands still fumbling with the hems of her skirt in that familiar way he knew another certain someone always does. Speaking of which, he needs to quickly return home, otherwise he'd get another glare and a dreadful lecture for sure.

"I'm sorry," he said, switching to a much more friendlier tone and a kind smile on his face in hopes of easing the girl's fear. As it was, he knew exactly how that felt. He knew it all too well.

The blond kneed down to the small child's level and put a hand on her shoulder, smiling a little when she flinched at his touch and tried to back away only to be stopped by his strong grip on her shoulder. "Did you need something?" kindly asked the blond.

"W-well," replied the girl, holding up her basket. "T-these... Um, m-my mother m-made them, a-and she's sick. I-I wasn't able to sell all of them, a-and I-I need the m-money-"

"How many do you have left?" asked the blonde.

"T-two, sir," she answered, trying to hide her face in that little scarf of hers.

 _'Cute,'_ thought the blond. _'Just like-'_ "Oh crap," his eyes widened in realization as he once more checked the time. "Not good." He turned back toward the girl and, taking out some some money from his pockets, he took the brown basket off her hand. "Here, take this and get home, kid. Your mother's waiting." He quickly stood up in a panic. "I gotta go."

The child looked confused. "I'm sorry, did I make you late?" she asked. "You look like a man about to get into trouble with his wife- oh! I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have prayed, seeing you so young, I thought- I mean, noblemen now a day usually... I'm sorry. But if you are late, then give your wife one of the protective charms in the basket, it's to protect and to connect you to the person who gives one to you, and the bond will only straitened if you have a pair. I'm sure she'll be pleased with that."

The blond smiled, somewhat uneasily for moment, before quickly concealing it. "I was planning on that. Thanks kid, now get home, and stay warm!" And he quickly ran off, leaving the child all alone in the cold winter night.

The young girl watched him go with until his disappeared from her sight, a warm smile on her face.

Once he was out of sight, the girl turned and walked into the dark corners of the street.

"Are you satisfied now?" asked a voice, as a man with light brown hair emerged from the shadows. He dropped a luxurious blue cloak over the child's shaking body while his other hand swiftly threw something toward the forming shadows. He narrowed his green eyes as the red dragon on his shoulder breathed out fire and killed all of the loaming shadows. "They really do love you, don't they?"

"...It's too cold here," the child whined, hugging her cloak close to her body in order to keep warm.

The man turned back toward her and smiled. "Well of course, it's winter. What did you expect? ... Honestly, after all these years of being in Spades, and you're still not use to it. It's no wonder he... Well, come on, let's return before he noticed anything off." He picked the child up and she sneeze. "And before you catch a cold. Lord knows what he'll do to me then."

"Maybe... I want to go to the hot springs for a few months. What do you think?"

"And let him handle everything on his own? Don't you think you're a little cruel here?" The man smiled slyly.

"Well it's either that or have me bedridden and unable to protect you from him. Your choice." The girl looked crossed.

"... Hot springs it is then, but who's telling him?"

"I could, if I could muster enough strength to successfully deceive him again."

"Right... I'm staying up all night again tonight then."

"I could join you. Two heads are better then one, and you know how well I know him."

"No, you rest. He'll be worried if you're not... You've done enough these last few years, going behind his back like this and all that. I'm surprise he hasn't caught on yet."

"Oh, he has, you know he has. I know you report to him about my every move, don't deny it."

"Oh come now, I don't tell him every-"

"But that's fine. There's nothing he could do about this anyways. Besides, he was cruel first. Separating us and doing all these things. He had it coming."

The green eyed man laughed. "You really have no mercy, do you?"

"Hump. You should know never to come between a woman and her child."

"Hell hatch no fiery like a woman's scone indeed," the man sighed, walking toward the dark forest that led to the palace. "I just hope he'll be okay."

"I hope we'll all be okay and make it through this without too much lost on the way..."

And they disappeared into the forest that lead up to the palace of Spade's Monarchy, the cloaktower loaming behind them.

* * *

The blond youth ran passed the enormous gate and toward the towering mansion up ahead. He checked his pocket watch again and suddenly spat up. Finally, he arrived at the entrance and paused for breath and baring. After a moment of heaving and telling the butler to wait, the blind finally straightened up and handed his coat over to the waiting man and stroll into the mansion, his stance composed and dignified.

"In the dinning room sir," said the aged old butler, his eyes closed.

The blond nodded his head and made his way toward the dinning room. But before entering the, he paused and looked down at the basket still in his hand. Interested, he reached in and pulled out two chained charms. One of them was silver in color and had the symbol of Spade in the middle, in the form of a blue crystal with silver wings fanning out. The other one had white and lavender crystals falling down, and at the bottom was a blue crystal shaped like tears. At the top of it were small wings and inside was the symbol of Spade in a deeper shade of blue.

The blond nodded his head at his chosen chose and processed to walk into the room with confidence.

Sitting on one side of the table was a blond haired girl dressed in a purple gown. Her long, wavy blond hair tied into two pig tails just above her shoulders and held together by a red ribbon. She was quietly sitting on the table, alone, waiting.

The bond male approached her and she looked up, her purple eyes meeting his sky blue ones.

"Al-" she began, but was interrupted when the blond held out the purple charm to her. "What's this?" she asked, taking the handmade charm and studying it. "It feels like it has magic, but it's faint."

"It's a charm," said the male, sitting down next to him. "On my way back, I ran into a little girl. She... She..."

The girl looked up and raised at eyebrow at the uneasy expression on her partner's face. "Reminded you of us?" she put in.

"Well, if you what to sum it up that way, then yeah," agreed the teen. "But she... Actually resembled you more, now that I think about it... I mean, hair tied just above the shoulders by two red ribbons and all."

"But Alfred, back then, my hair wasn't long, and I was only wearing one red ribbon," said the girl.

"Yeah." Alfred studied his companion carefully, causing her to blush. "And you also weren't wearing a dress back then either, Mattie, nor were you ever called Madeline. But then again, you still acted like a girl, and I did still call you Maddie even then."

"S-shut up, Al," Matthew shattered out, looking away in embarrassment. "It's not like I want this, but..."

"Yeah, that guy has a really sick sense of sarcasm."

"Al," Matthew looked up, "you shouldn't say that. He took us in and helped us after... After..." Matthew's face saddened over.

"After the incident," Alfred said grimly. "I know. What a coincidence though. I mean, we were raised in the countryside, but because of what happened there, we ended up on the front door of this Duke's mansion and he took us in. And after working here for a while as his son and nephews' playmates, they accidentally stumbled upon our secret. One that we didn't even know about. But it all made so much sense though." He brought his arms behind his head and looked up. "I just don't see why he has to make you dress up and pretend to be a girl, Mattie. I mean, not that I'm complaining or anything. You look pretty cute, and you do attract some guys. Right, Matt." He winked at his brother.

Matthew blushed and looked away, hugging his bear tightly in his arms. "I said shut up. It's not like I mean to or anything. I mean, I did try to hold myself back, but..."

Alfred laughed and Matthew stared at him.

"So, how was your trip out?" Matthew asked.

Alfred sat up. "It was good. We got stuff done, got some new recruits... The citizens' pretty riled up too, from the looks of it. But there are still some loyalists here and there, but nothing we can't handle. Anyways, I think we'll probably be ready in about a month or so," Alfred answered.

"... Don't your think you're rushing this just a bit, Alfred?" questioned Matthew. "What if..." He struggled to find the right words that would not set his brother off. "What if they're not ready eh?"

"Nah." Alfred relaxed and leaned back in his seat. "I have confidence in my men."

"... But are you sure that this is the right thing to do, though?" Matthew looked uneasy.

Alfred sat up once more, his posture entirely changed. "Matthew." Matthew flinched at the icy tone in Alfred's voice and tried ad void his brother' scold eyes. "Have you forgotten what that King did to us?" He raised from his seat.

"N-no, I-"

"Do I need to remind you, Matthew, why it is we are here today? Why we are here instead of back at our mansion in the countryside? Why you have to pretend to be a girl and why I had to join the rebels? Have you forgotten what happened to our Mother?"

Flashes of a burning building and soldiers in blue coming to take away a black haired woman and a blond haired man crossed Matthew's mind, and he quickly closed his eyes in order to forget the painful memory of the day he and Alfred were left all alone in the world, with only each other as company.

"No," whispered Matthew, his eyes downcast in sadness. "No, I haven't, Alfred..."

"Good." Alfred sat down and crossed his arms. "I thought you did. What with you and that-"

Alfred was interrupted as more footsteps sounded throughout the room and both boys straightened their posture as a red haired man with green eyes walked into the room, wearing a long, blue trench coat trimmed in gold braids. He was followed by a white haired man with piercing red eyes, dressed in a navy blue military uniform. Following behind him were three teens, looking to be around the same age as Matthew and Alfred, all male.

The first was a boy, a little older then Alfred and Matthew, with dark brown hair and green eyes, dressed in another blue military uniform and holding a small koala in his arms. The boy's uniform though, was not as high ranked as the albino and instead of a black tie with a black iron cross in the middle, the boy had a red kerchief tied around his suit collar. The boy behind him, who seemed closely in age, had blond hair which curled a bit at the end, and green eyes just like his cousin. He had a small sheep in his arms, with the sheep having a blue ribbon and a golden bell tied around its neck, and he was dressed in a long blue suit, a blue rose placed above the place his heart should be located. The last boy, the youngest of them all, also has blond hair and shared the same green eyes of his family. And like his older cousin, the boy was also wearing a similar blue military uniform.

The brothers exchanged glances with each other at the arrival of the boy not dressed in military uniform, wondering what a priest was doing outside of Church. Despite this being his home, the boys knew that Joshua was rarely ever able to come home and often stayed at the Church, despite his father being the Duke of the house. Most of the times, it was them who had to go visit him. Though it's mostly just Kyle, the eldest of them all, who went the most, seeing as they were both very close with each other.

The albino sat down next to Matthew, across from the brown haired teen with a koala. Before he sat, he and Matthew exchanged a small smile with each other. Finally, with everyone seated, they began to eat dinner.

* * *

The sound of moans and sheets shuffling could be heard in the dimness of the night. The shadowed figure of a man raised up, showing his naked muscles, unexpected of the petit body hidden underneath the blue uniform of Spade's knight. His red eyes stared down at his blushing lover.

"Birdie," he purred out, going in for another bit.

Matthew moaned, his eyes closed. "G-Gil," he whispered out, both hands on his temples as sweat breathed down his forehead.

Gilbert smirked. "You're so cute, Birdie. You really do know just how to push me to my limits."

Matthew didn't say anything and only gasped louder at the hard thrusts. Instead, he looked toward the giant window and gazed at the moon.

Gilbert frowned. "What's wrong, Birdie?" he asked, keeping the rhythm slow and appearing concerned as a hand went up to Matthew's head.

"I- I don't know, Gil," said Matthew, his voice laced with worry under the heavy breathing of pleasure as he used his arm to hide his eyes away from his lover.

"Hey, Birdie. Look at me. Look at me." Gilbert stopped the rhythm and moved Matthew's head toward him, successfully pulling the boy's arms away from his eyes. Both stared at each other.

After a moment, Gilbert said, "It's about your brother, isn't it?"

Matthew paused for a moment, his eyes down casted, before nodding. Gilbert sighed and got off, giving Matthew room to sit up so they could talk.

"Are you still scared about what he'll do to me when he finds out about this?" asked Gilbert. "I told you, Alistair already knows, and I can protect myself. I trained both of you, after all."

Matthew nodded, his gaze still down. "I know," he said. "But... Although I am still worried about Alfred becoming trigger happy with you when he finds out about us sleeping together, I mean, sure he could take knowing about us having feelings for each other eh. Though I don't think he knows what you're thinking, just me eh." Gilbert shrugged. "But that's not what I'm really worried about." His shoulders fell.

Gilbert studied his lover for a moment before before reaching out for his check, causing him to look up only to meet with Gilbert's sharp gaze, the eyes he only used when he's truly being serious. Matthew's heart skipped a beat.

"Then what is is, Birdie?" he asked, worried. "Tell me. You know I'm here to listen. I'll always listen. Seeing you like this hurts me, you know that." He brushed a tender hand on Matthew's soft cheek.

Matthew smiled. "Sorry," he apologized. "It's just," Matthew leaned into Gilbert's hold, "Alfred..." Matthew sighed. "I don't know, Gil. I'm having second thoughts."

Gilbert raised his eyebrow. "Second thoughts?"

"Yeah," said Matthew, his eyes seeming far away. "About the revolt."

"Oh." Gilbert relaxed, but then frowned, his eyes also trailing off into the distant.

Matthew smiled and looked up at Gilbert's worried face. "Why? Did you think I meant something else."

"Birdie," Gilbert whined, causing Matthew to let out a laugh at his childishness. Really, who would ever thought that this guy was only a few years younger then Alistair.

"You were saying something about the revolts?" Gilbert went back to the topic at hand, his face now a frown and his eyes calculating as he played with Matthew's long hair.

"Yeah." Matthew turned away. "I don't know... I wonder if what we're doing is the right thing. I mean, I know that the King is cruel; he kills without much thoughts, and he rules without anyone holding him back. Not to mention, he took away my mother and uncle when Alfred and I were only eight... I know that the only way to avenge the unjustified deaths of our mother and uncle is to kill the King, or at least, I thought that... But now... I don't know Gil. Growing up here, having to pretend to be a girl, I see and hear lots of things. Things Alfred probably doesn't even know or fully understand..." Gilbert snorted and Matthew glared up at him, causing him to cover his moth and look away.

"And I wonder..." Matthew continued, his eyes sad again. "It is truly the King's fault for all of this? I don't know why, but for some reason, being in this house and surrounded by so many people who works in the palace... Whenever I'm in the palace myself, I feel a sense of... loneliness of a sort. Sad... Like something's missing. Like there's some sort of mystery looming about. In this house and at the palace. Something about the King's sudden isolation a-and his changed behavior... It's strange eh, and I want to look into it more..." He turned to Gilbert, whose face had turned blank. "Do you think I'm wrong for thinking that? Am I just imagining it?"

Gilbert stared down at Matthew's worried face for a few moments, wondering what he should do. Finally, he sighed and turned toward the windows. "Birdie," he said. "There are things in this world that just aren't-..." Once more, Gilbert let out a sigh and closed his eyes before turning back toward Matthew. "You have to remember that everything may not always be as simple as it appears. You may be right. There might be something there. Something everyone overlooked about the King. Who knows. But you and I both know your brother. There's no way he's backing out from this. Alistair knows that. That's why no one in this household has done anything, but cover up your brother's trails for him."

"I know..." whispered Matthew, sadly.

Gilbert looked at Matthew's sad face for a moment before bring a hand up to his head. "Ahh," he said. "Now I'm worried." Matthew looked up at him in confusing and Gilbert smiled. "If Alfred becomes King, then you will have to protect him from now on instead of him protecting you. I wonder just how Alfred's going to take that. As it is, he already hates the fact that you have to do this for his sake and considers himself the older of the two of you, thus his job to protect you."

"Yes. Well... No, not really," said Matthew, a small smile on his face. "Ever since we were kids, why back before the incident, Al's always teased me about being weak and girly. He's always protected me too. Always finding me and holding my hand, telling me to stop crying..." Matthew smiled at the pure memory of his early days of childhood with Alfred, back in the countryside.

"Teased you?" asked Gilbert, his grip on Matthew suddenly tightening, causing Matthew to gasped and look up at him.

"Gil!" he shouted, just as Gilbert attacked his neck.

"Sorry Birdie," said Gilbert, huskily. "Hearing that just suddenly made me really jealous for a moment there." He opened his red eyes, which seemed to have darkened into a crimson shade as he looked up at Matthew.

Matthew blush and moved away a bit, knowing exactly what that look meant, having seem it plenty of times before in the past and only just figured out what it truly meant about a year ago.

"Gil, come on," he said. "Alfred's my brother. My little brother, he wouldn't-"

"You don't know that," said Gilbert, his voice lowered as he whispered into Matthew's bare shoulder, causing the 15-year-old boy to shiver at the older man's touch.

Gilbert lowered him back onto the bed. "His last name is Jones and yours is Williams. You may have been raised by the same mother and uncle, but you know that your birth mother died when you were barely even a year old Matthew."

"S-still," said Matthew, trying and failing to stop Gilbert's advances. But then again, he wasn't trying very hard, and he knew that rarely could he ever win against this man whom he's been in love with since the young age of 12.

"Hmm," was all Gilbert said before their conversation ended and Matthew's moans started up once more.

* * *

Gilbert sat on the edge of the bed, fixing his black shirt collar and the iron cross on his tie. Once finished, he sighed and turned back to Matthew's sleeping form. Gilbert smiled and bushed some hair away from Matthew's peaceful face.

"So cute," he whispered. "I wonder... will you still stay this cute after all this is done and over with? Will this innocence of yours disappear too?" His eyes seemed to sadden over as he looked at Matthew and leaned in to kiss the boy's forehead one last time. "Goodbye Matthew... I hope you continue to have good dreams."

Gilbert stood up and put on his blue suit before grabbing a black long coat out of tin air and then donning it on. Opening his eyes now, Gilbert's expression changed to one of cold cruelty and smudged amusement. Without even a backward glance, he disappeared from the room.


	2. Chapter 2

**I apologize before hand for my fight scenes. They are not every good.**

 **Declaimer: I don't owe Hetalia, it belongs to Himaruya Hidekazu.**

* * *

 **Chapter 2:** **Successors**

Alfred killed off the soldiers in front of him with his sword, his face blank as he advanced forward, toward the throne room.

Fire was burning outside as the men inside fought for the country's freedom.

"Alfred! Matthew! Head for the throne room! We'll take care of things here!" shouted one of the men.

"Got it General," said Alfred, a smile on his face and he made his way forward.

Matthew come to join him not long after, wielding his own sword. The brothers looked at each other and smirked.

"You look nice," Alfred commented, looking Matthew up and down.

Matthew had cut his hair shorter now, to look more like a man after a soldier had almost pulled on it to stall him. And he was no longer wearing a dress, which he was ever grateful for, as he would've sooner or later trip in it for sure, no matter now skilled he was at running in it by now. He was just thankful that Kyle, Albert and Joshua had brought him a man's change of cloths while they were at the palace.

"Thanks," said Matthew.

"But I still think a dress suits you more." Matthew sweet dropped at that. Although he couldn't help but think that he will miss the dress, but he sure was never going to admit to that out loud.

And the two brothers charged forward, killing off loyalists soldiers standing in their way as they went, trying to reach the throne room.

The brothers smiled as they approached the unguarded double doors, thinking this will be an easy crossing. However, they were very wrong, for the throne room was never without guard, especially when the King lies just being that door.

A white haired man stepped out from the side and walked toward the middle of the double doors.

Matthew's face lit up. "Gil-!" he shouted, but Alfred's outstretched arm stopped him sort and Matthew glanced at his brother. His heart skipped a beat and his smile fell with his heart as he looked upon his brother's sharp eyes that was trained on Gilbert's smirking face. Matthew glanced back just in time to see Gilbert grip his sword.

"G-Gil?" Matthew questioned, his face turning pale in shock.

"What's the meaning of this, Gilbert?" Alfred asked, his eyes narrowed and Matthew noticed his body tensed up. It was only to be expected. They haven't gone against Gilbert in a while, and last time had ended the same as it always had...

Matthew saw Gilbert smirk as he drew his sword. "What do you think?" he asked.

"You... We haven't seen you in over a month. Is this where you've been all this time?" Alfred questioned. "Don't tell me you-?"

"Why don't you come and find that out for yourself, little Alfie?" Gilbert argued, just like the old days.

A tick mark appeared on Alfred's face. He'd always hated being called little, and Gilbert knew that well. Matthew sighed. Things always starts out like this between the two of them.

"Move aside, Gilbert," said Alfred. "I really don't want to have to fight you."

"Sorry," said Gilbert. "No can do. Orders are orders."

"Gilbert!" Alfred shouted. "Just because he's King, doesn't mean you have to follow his every word! Join the rebels."

"Hmm. Tempting." He really seemed to be considering it, but at the same time, seemed to be mocking them. Finally, he looked back at Alfred and grinned. "But... No thanks. I'm fine- no, not really fine. But it's okay though, he's tolerable. And the jobs he has me do is at least somewhat interesting. Though, to be honest with you, I thought babysitting the both of you was going to be a pain, but it turned out to be really fun. Messing with you to pass the impending time, killing and spying for him and all that."

"... What?" Alfred questioned, looking mixed between confusion and utter horror at the realization of what Gilbert's words could be alluding to. There was only one mysterious person rumored to be carrying out such direct orders from the King without retaliations... "Oh whatever." Alfred decided not to think too hard on it. "So you're on his side then?" He raised his sword at Gilbert, his eyes dangerous.

"Isn't that oblivious?" asked Gilbert, smugly.

"Why?" Matthew suddenly spoke up, his eyes hidden behind his bands.

The two to turn toward him and Gilbert frowned.

"Mattie?" Alfred questioned, carefully backing away from his brother. He already knew what would happen if he pissed Matthew off to the point of absolute fury, and though rare, Alfred did not want to take changes, least he end up on the ground like last time.

Matthew looked up, his eyes in tears. Gilbert stiffened for a second, and clinched his fist tightly.

"Was it all... Just an order to you?" he asked.

"M-Mattie," said Alfred, trying to comforting his heartbroken brother.

"Everything? Was it all just an act? ... Hey, answer me. Gilbert!"

Gilbert stared blankly into Matthew's violet eyes. "... Ja," he answered, letting go of the fisted hand. "I did everything I was ordered to do. I tracked down that trader and took him and the woman with him back to the King to be punished. Ja, and I was the one who carried out the private execution too. Killed them right in front of the King, in that throne room, I did."

Alfred's eyes flared up in angry and he suddenly lipped for Gilbert's head. Gilbert blocked easily, his smile still pleasant on his face. Alfred struggled against him.

"You," Alfred growled out. "You." His entire body shook. "Bastard!" Alfred swung at Hilbert and he blocked. "You are that King's Shadow! All this time! We truest you!" His sword collided with Gilbert's once more. "I trusted you." Another cling of mettle hitting mettle. "Alistair trusted you!" Another clash as tears rolled down Alfred's face, much to his displeasure and hate. He's always found Gilbert's smiling face interesting, but now he found that he hated that face. "Matthew trusted you!" Alfred took a big swing and sent Gilbert back toward the door. He heaved out and made his way toward Gilbert once more.

Gilbert straighten his stance, pushing off the door with the arm not holding his sword. "Oh," he said with a gleam in his eyes. "You're already this angry? Wow, and here I was about to tell you how I was also ordered to track down the children, with the intention of killing them. And I almost succeeded too, had Alistair not found you in front of his house and took you in after seeing the symbols on your bodies. I really should've been more careful with where I cut, but then again, you were kids." He shrugged. "And though it wasn't really all that hard to get into Alistair's house, since he and I had already become quite close by then, it was still hard trying to kill you. You mother really was a great High Priestess, you know?" The boys' eyes widened at that. Their mother was the former High Priestess of Spades? "Possibly the best in Spades. But too bad she had to die. She, and that King's former Ace..."

Alfred quickly moved up and grabbed Gilbert by his collar. "You," he growled out, eyes hidden behind his bangs. "If you wanted to kill us, then why did you train us?"

Gilbert smirked and tried to pray Alfred's strong grip off him, but found that he couldn't. ' _Damn this kid and his enormous strength,'_ he cursed in his head, but on the outside, tried to not show it. _'Well, at least he somewhat looks the part. Unlike that guy... So he really doesn't know...'_ Gilbertsighed and stopped resisting. Instead, he simply smirked back at Alfred in amusement, angering the boy even more.

"Well, I was tired of just killing useless beings, you know?" said Gilbert, shrugging. "I wanted a competition, and thought why not? It'd be all the more fun to kill you that way."

"Hah! Look who's talking. You're the one suffocating in my hands, Gilbert!" Alfred looked at him with fury.

"Zehehehe, please, as if ze awesome me would die zat easily," Gilbert smirked and grabbed Alfred's hand. Ducking down, he twisted them around and changed their position.

Taking Alfred by surprise at the sudden movement, Gilbert held the boy pressed up face first against the door. Alfred glared back at him in anger.

"Bastard," he growled out, struggling to get loss only to feel silver chains snaking up his legs and body, trapping him in place. "Damn it! Gilbert! You bastard!"

Gilbert smirked and brought his sword up. "Honestly, I'm disappointed. I was really hoping for a better kill than this. If it was him, he'd have me bleeding and press up against the floor at his feet by now, you know? How disappointing. But... Oh well, time to carry out my orders, I guess."

Gilbert raised his sword and was about to strike when he suddenly moved out of the way and dogged Matthew's sword amide at him. Even though he was unable to injure Gilbert, Matthew took advantage of the situation and broke the chains around Alfred's bound hands.

He turned toward Gilbert, his eyes dark and dangerious. "Free yourself, Alfred," he ordered. "And go. I'll take care of him."

"But Mattie," Alfred whined, breaking the chains.

"Go. I'll be fine. I can take care of myself now, Alfred. You don't need to worry," said Matthew.

Alfred looked doubtful and Matthew sighed, holding up his sword, tip down. "You two seemed to forget that you, Gilbert, also trained me. I'm no longer that weak, venerable little boy all those years ago anymore." His eyes locked with Gilbert, fury and determined. "GO, Alfred! The person you have to face is behind that door while mine..." Suddenly, Gilbert's words that night came to mind and a Matthew narrowed his eyes. "Gilbert and I have some things we need to clear up." Alfred still looked conflicted about this. "GO, Alfred!"

"All right," said Alfred, looking worriedly back at Matthew and then Gilbert for a moment before pushing the door open.

Gilbert moved to go after him, commanding the chains to move only for Matthew to cut them down and hold Gilbert back by raising his sword in front of the albino, blocking the man's path, his eyes hidden behind his bangs. Gilbert shifted his gaze toward Matthew and brought his hand down.

Matthew brought his sword forward and pointed it at Gilbert, angry. "Don't ignore me!" he screamed and charged.

Gilbert smirked and merely dogged before bringing his own sword back up only to be meet with Matthew's own, as he turned around to block.

Matthew pushed back and Gilbert pushed forth. Both of them fought back and forth until finally, Gilbert had Matthew pressed up against a wall, his sword against Matthew's neck while his other hand gripped Matthew's sword hand to his side. Gilbert smirked.

"You know, this is pretty attractive too," said Gilbert.

Matthew turned his head sideways, his eyes hidden behind his bangs. "Aren't you going to kill me?" he asked.

"Well, that was my orders," Gilbert confirmed absentmindedly.

"Then what are you waiting for? Just do it already."

Gilbert stared at Matthew for a moment more, silently studying him. Matthew's eyes was tightly shut, waiting for the blow to come and keeping his tears from overflowing.

Gilbert raised his sword, but upon seeing something on Matthew's body, lowered it, his eyes wide. Then, he frowned and stepped back, letting go to Matthew and causing his eyes to widen in shock as he looked back up at Gilbert.

"Wha...?" he questioned, confused.

"This is no fun," said Gilbert, waving his arms and ordering the chains to bound Matthew up and bring him down to his knees. He turned toward the double doors and crossed his arms. "I'll just wait until those two in there are done." Gilbert turned his head back to Matthew. "Then I'll kill you." He cruelly smiled, causing Matthew's heart to sink in his chest. Gilbert returned his gaze to the doors. "I wonder how he'll take it. Seeing you die before his very eyes and feeling as though he is all alone in the world."

Something seemed to snap within Matthew and he lowered his head.

"Hey, Gilbert," he spoke up quietly.

"Hmm? Did you say something, Birdie?" Hilbert asked, coming closer to stand over Matthew's form.

"...Why?"

"Hmm? Why?" Gilbert raised an eyebrow.

"Was it all just a game to you?" Matthew finally spoke the words he's been drying to get the answers to. He lifted his head and Gilbert stepped back a few inches at the tears rolling down his face. "Everything. Was it all just a game to you? Did I mean nothing to you at all? Gilbert?!"

Gilbert was silent for a moment, before finally answering, "Ja. It was all just for fun and games. Something to pass the time and get my mind off of my first lover."

Matthew's eyes widened as memories rushed through his head. The first day they met, when Alistair introduced them as teacher and student, and how Gilbert commented on his dress, causing him to bush and say that he was not a girl. Gilbert had laughed then... Then there was that time they played hide and seek and Gilbert was the one to find him after dark... The time they went hunting in the forest and Gilbert softened Matthew's fall off the cliff... Their first kiss under the maple tree and the purple ribbon Gilbert stole... It was all just an act. Everything. It was all just a fun way to pass the time... He had been used, as a replacement for another...

"Now she was something," Gilbert looked fondly at the memory, a small smile on his face. He he sighed. "Ahh. But too bad she..."

Matthew cried in pain and agony while Gilbert continued to look on with a blank face.

"... Hmm," Gilbert hummed, looking back at the doors. "I wonder if Alfred's dead yet?"

Matthew ceased his crying, his eyes wide as his heart beat increased in growing anxiety.

 _'A_ _h_ , _that's right,'_ he thought. _'Alfred... He needs me. I can't die yet.'_ He looked up at Gilbert and narrowed his eyes in determination. _'Not yet.'_

Matthew closed his eyes and focused. The air around him shifted and his form growled. Soon, the chains broke and the ground around him dented, creating a great hole in the floor. Matthew quickly jumped up and landed gracefully on the stable floor, his eyes glowing blue. A large gold-silver key, with the blue symbol of spades and a yellow ribbon stuck to one side of the round head, appeared in his hand and he kicked off the ground, charging at Gilbert, determined to defeat him.

Gilbert seemed taken by surprise, but was able to block Matthew's attacks, and he's shocked turned into a smirk upon seeing Matthew's deadly gaze.

"Oh..." he smirked. "So you've finally managed to manifest your soul weapon hah? Took you long enough, I suppose. But then again, Alfred's the same..." Gilbert's eyes glimmered. "What interesting eyes you have there, Birdie."

"Shut up," Matthew sneered. "Don't call me that."

Gilbert jumped back at Matthew's large key came down.

"Hmmm. You're angry..." Gilbert observed with a pleasing smirk. "Good." And he charged. Matthew blocked with his key and, clinging his teeth, he glared into Gilbert's sadistic eyes. "The angrier you are, the more fun killing you will be for me."

Matthew screamed and pushed back. They continued the fight for a while longer, destroying the hall as they went.

Gilbert landed on the other side of the room, standing up on the wall, as the ground was too full of cracks and holes to appear stable enough. The fighting on the lower floor could easily see what was happening up at the top floor, if they're eyes were quick enough to following the swift movements of the two.

Both Matthew and Gilbert were breathing heavily, tired. Suddenly, as they continued to glare at each other, Matthew in hatred and Gilbert in cruel amusement, blood dripped down their lips. Both moved to wipe it off, Matthew never once breaking eye contract with Gilbert. But Gilbert observed the blood on his hand.

"Hah," he said. "It's been a while, since someone other then that guy has caused me to bleed..." His eyes gazed over.

Matthew used the time Gilbert was distracted to push off the ground, causing it to collapse as well, and for the people on the bottom floor to move out of the way or die under its weight. Gilbert dogged and as they moved around, chasing each other, Gilbert turned to face Matthew.

"You know, this brings back memories," he said. "Yes. I remember now. Your mother, or rather, your aunt, was like this too, when I chased after her..." Matthew's eyes widened. He'd never knew that Alfred's mother was actually his aunt. "Despite her position, she was a good fighter, able to injure me with that arrow of hers'." Gilbert's fond smiled turned sadistic. "But what I loved more than her determined face was hearing her scream in agony as I tortured her and made her watch her favorite handmaiden die right before her very eyes. Her tearful face was so wroth it."

Matthew saw red. Miss Anna... Miss Anna, the person who protected them after their mother and uncle were taken, was killed by Gilbert? Her injuries, they were caused by him?

 _'_ _Ah,'_ Matthew smiled, his eyes hidden behind his bangs. _'I should've known...'_ He held up his keyblade and went for Gilbert once more, this time with the intent to kill him.

After a while of fighting, Matthew noticed that Gilbert seemed to have lost his smiles and appeared to be taking him seriously now. Good... Matthew couldn't help but smile a little in satisfaction at the thought.

However, Matthew himself was getting tired of this and if this continues, he would surely loss. Just as he thought that, Matthew found himself almost beheaded by Gilbert's sword, but instead, he tripped on a rock and fell into one of the holes.

 _'_ _Eh?'_ He thought, his eyes wide as he noticed a wide eyed Gilbert reaching out for him and pulling him back up by the arm, preventing him from falling into the chaos going on on the lower floor.

Suddenly, the image of that day when Matthew fell off a hill entered his mind. Back them, Gilbert had not only reach out for him, but he had run from his horse and jumped in after Matthew. And as they fell, Gilbert had grabbed Matthew's hand and held him close to his body.

 _'_ _No,'_ Matthew's eyes widened as he realized what Gilbert was doing when he grabbed Matthew's other hand, the hand with the keyblade gripped tightly in it.

"No!" Matthew shouted out, worried. But it was too late. The minute Gilbert hugged him to his body, the keyblade had impaled itself into his stomach and Gilbert twisted it, causing him to cough up blood.

"G-Gil," Matthew shattered out, eyes wide as tears fell from his eyes. "Why?"

Gilbert smiled. "I thought it was high time we stopped this, Birdie," Gilbert replied, painfully forcing out a smile as he fell into Matthew's arms.

Matthew caught him and tried not to fall back through the hole again.

"Hey, you remember what I told you, Birdie?" Gilbert asked, closing his eyes. "That not everything is as it seems?"

"Don't talk, Gil," said Matthew, worried. "I'm going to take you to a doctor eh. You'll be okay."

"What's the point. I'm going to die anyvays. Vizer you kill me or not. It's doesn't matter..."

"Gilbert!" Matthew tired to lift Gilbert's sudden heavy body up. Strange, Matthew has never had this hard of a time with Gilbert's weight before. What happened to him during the time he was absent from their lives? What did that King do to him?

Gilbert let out a laugh. "This must be my punishment," he said, seemingly more to himself. "I shouldn't have fallen in love with you... Especially considering I'm practically the same age as your fazer." Gilbert painfully laughed once more.

"M-my father?" Matthew asked, shocked and confused at Gilbert's sudden changed way of speaking.

"Ja. Ahh, of all zee times for this curse to be lifting, it had to be now..." Gilbert placed a hand on his chest. "But, you know, Birdie? I don't regret anyzing. Even if zat guy pointed his sword at me and threatened me for it, and when your father finally finds out, he might just break off our friendship, but I don't care... The only zing I regret is having to lie to you, and leaving you like... zis..." He coughed up more blood and Matthew noticed the light in his eyes glowing dimmer by the second as his strength gives out. "A-advise the King vell, Birdie. D-do not let him... Become... A... St-ray..."

"Gil?" Matthew questioned, not dealing to look down at his lover's fallen form. "Gilbert?" Matthew finally looked down only to find Gilbert's eyes closed for all eternity.

He weakly fell to the floor in shock and tears. Shaking his head in denial, Matthew hugged Gilbert's dead body as he cried for his lost lover.

"Gilbert!" he screamed out, just as Kumajiro stepped out from around the corner, the same corner gilbert had entered from, and walked over to his master to comfort him.

Moments after Matthew hugged Gilbert's body to his own, the man's lifeless form suddenly turned into blue sparks, shocking Matthew and causing him to look up at the card turning in midair in front of him.

It was the card of the Ace of Spades.

* * *

Alfred stepped into the throne room and the doors closed behind him and he continued onward, his eyes searching for the King, for he was not sitting on the throne and smiling away at the Chao as was originally thought. But then again, he hadn't run away either.

Alfred scanned the room in search for the missing King and finally found him standing by the window, overlooking the city below.

"Ahh, I see that you've made it pass my Ace," said the King, turning his head around just a little.

Alfred narrowed his eyes at the blond haired man. "Your Ace?" he asked. "Who? Gilbert?"

The King turned fully around and made his away silently toward the throne, his eyes hidden behind his bangs.

"But I thought-? My uncle-. How?" Alfred was confused.

The King let out a small laugh. "Sorry," he apologized. "It's just... You're so cute, Alfred."

"What?"

"Never mind," said the King. "So, you are here to kill me and take over the throne, yes?"

"Will, if what's happening outside is anything to go by..." Alfred sarcastically retorted.

The King smiled. "I see." A gold sword mesmerised itself in his hand. "Well then," he looked up at Alfred, his purple eyes gleaming with minac, "let's see how well Gilbert's taught you, should we?" He brought his sword up in front of him and Alfred charged.

The two crossed blades, silver and gold meeting each other, and the king smirked. "Oh," he raised an eyebrow and moved back. "What enormous strength you have. As expected... of that person's son..."

"You," Alfred narrowed his eyes. "You killed my mother."

"Oh? Did I now? I don't recall that," said the King, his eyes narrowed at the item dangling out of Alfred's coat pocket, an unhappy frown on his face.

Alfred was enraged and attacked the King once more. The two danced around the room, crossing swords with each other, the force of their swings cutting down the pillars, flags, and other decorations in the room. The only thing that seemed unaffected was the single throne standing at the top.

"How can you not know it? You ordered Gilbert to track us down and then killed her and my uncle!" Alfred screamed, jumping up and going in for the King's head only to find himself slashing at air, as the King had disappeared right before his sword made contract.

"I've ordered Gilbert to track down and kill many people," said the King, from behind.

Alfred turned around and found himself coming face to face with the man. His eyes widened and Alfred tried to get away before the King's sword could kill him. He winched in pain at the chilling sensation of the blade on his sides.

Alfred stumbled forward, clenching his bleeding wound in pain. Alfred suddenly felt weak. Was the sword laced with poison? Probably. Most likely. Damn. Alfred coughed up blood and fell to the ground, his eyes wide. _'No. This can't end like this,'_ he thought.

"Ahh, how disappointing," said the King, slashing his sword to get ride of the flowing blood and then dropping it only for the sword to disappear. The King moved back to observe the window.

"How chaotic," he observed. "Going to have to fix that."

"If you'd been paying attention, interacting, or at least hearing the words of the people instead of doing all this shit-"

"Watch your language, lad." The King glared.

"-then maybe this won't have happened in the first place!"

The King sighed. "You are so naive, Alfred. Oh so naive."

"Says the one who let me live!" Alfred retorted. "Why did you let me live anyways?"

"... Who knows? Maybe it's to pass the time? Maybe it's for her...? Ah... who was she again?"

Alfred's eyes narrowed as he coughed up more blood. "My mother," he stated. "The former high Priestess whom you killed because you were afraid she and my father would take the throne from you and become Queen!"

"Your mother..." The King's eyes gazed over. "Hmm. Ahh yes. I remember now. I was afraid of that happening to her, wasn't I...? As for that former Ace of mine..." the king turned back to towards Alfred, his purple eyes glowing dangerously. "He betrayed me first." He walked toward Alfred. "Him, that woman and the others." The King held Alfred up by the collar of his shirt and stared into his blue gaze, his eyes wild and crazy. "They did this. They did it to me first. If they hadn't done that, none of this would've happened, Alfred. You wouldn't have had to go through such tragedies." The King pushed Alfred back on the ground and walked toward the double doors.

"Now then," he said. "Time to end this."

 _'Matthew,'_ Alfred's eyes widened as he realized that Matthew was still outside, fighting Gilbert. Suddenly, his strength seemed to be returning to him upon thinking about the safely of the others.

Instead of grabbing his sword, which was off to the side, a silver pistol mesmerized in his hand and Alfred turned, pointed the gun with narrowed accuracy, and let the bullets fly.

It impaled itself right into the King's back just before he could grab the door handle, and the older man fell to his knees and onto the ground.

Alfred breathed with shallow breath, his hands shaking and his eyes tearful for reasons unknown to him.

"Hah?" he questioned, reaching up to feel the tears sliding down his face. "Why am I crying?"

Alfred had killed before, and he had never been like this. He'd gotten over this already. All those nights staying up and crying with Matthew by his side, Alfred was sure he'd gotten ride of this feeling. So why...?

The king smirked as his purple eyes glanced back at Alfred's shocked form. "Congratulations Alfred," he said. "you've managed to break this country free from my rule. However, a word of advice, not everything is as they seem to be. You have a long way to go... my dear... little... Al...fred..." his eyes slowly closed up and his labored breathing came to a halt as the golden watch in his hand broke.

The King of Spades was dead.

As soon as the watch broke, the sounds of the clock towers ringing could be heard throughout the nation and all fightings ceased as everyone awaits for their new King to make an appearance before his people.

The King's form turned into blue sparks and disappeared, leaving behind a spinning card of the King of Spades in it's midst.

The card made it's way over to Alfred and the blue sparks circled him, healing him and giving him back his strength as it transformed him into the new King, changing his ropes to better fit the role.

Alfred, with his strength fully returned to him and feeling a hundred times more powerful, stood up, his face hidden behind his bangs and a card in his hand, and made his way toward the door. He pushed it open with both hands and studied the damaged room. It was worse than the throne room. Scanning the area, he searched for his brother and upon finding him, made his way over.

"Mattie," he said to his sobbing brother, whose appearance had also changed to fit his new statue as the Ace of Spade, the the grand adviser and secretary to the monarchy and who oversees the finances of the country.

His little pet bear also seemed to have gone through a change of cloths as well, as he now wore the same pattered hat and scarf as his master.

Mattie snapped out of his shock and turned his face away from the card in his hand to look up at his brother. "Eh?"

Alfred's eyes saddened over as he bent down and hugged his brother. "I liked him too, Matt," said Alfred, a tear falling down his face. "He was a good teacher... and friend."

Matthew wiped his tears and stood up, his face determined as he nodded his head back at his younger brother. "Yes. I know, Alfred. I'm okay eh."

"Good," Alfred smiled. "By the way, what's that card in your hand?" He stared at the card in his brother's hand.

"Eh?" Matthew seemed shocked and looked down at the card with the name, "Matthew Williams" written at the bottom while the top was left blank. "I-I don't know," he said.

"How did you come to get it?" Alfred looked at the card and then took out his own. "Do you remember?"

"I-I can't... remember..." Matthew seemed troubled and suddenly, she saw the image of a dark male figure and clinched his head in pain.

"It's okay, it's okay, Matthew," Alfred tried to comfort his brother. "You don't have to force yourself if you don't what to. I couldn't remember it either, but I know that I got mine after I killed the King."

Alfred studied his own card. Just like Matthew's card, the scroll at the top was left blank and in the middle was a blank picture while at the bottom was his own name "Alfred F. Jones". Alfred wondered what it was and how he had come to obtain it, for all he remembered was, as soon as the bells rang out, he had been in a dark place and there was someone there with him. But who was it...?

Matthew stopped struggling, his eyes wide and his body went limp in Alfred's arms.

"Mattie?" Alfred looked concerned. "You okay?"

"... Yeah," Matthew smiled up at him and Alfred smiled back in relief.

"Good. Let's go then." And they both made their way out to greet the citizens of Spades, Kumajiro following wordlessly behind them.

* * *

Ludwig made his way down the dark corridors of Hearts' palace, a book in his hand. The book had a black lined with white carvings and the roman numeral IV card, with the word "Emperor" written right below it, marking a page of the book. Turning into the library, Ludwig found that he was not alone.

Ludwig raised his eyebrow at the man standing over the desk, looking at the item in his hand.

"Ah... I see you're back... Bruder," said Ludwig, moving closer to his brother.

The albino turned around. "Ja," he said. "Zee awesome is back, Lutz. Miss me?"

"... vat's zat you have zere, Bruder?" he eyed the item in his brother's hand.

Gilbert smiled and he spun the maple leave in his hand, causing the purple ribbon tied at the bottom to dance about. "Nozing," he replied. "Just a souvenir."

"Soufenir?" asked Ludwig, confused.

Gilbert smiled at the small slip up and grabbed his journal. Just like Ludwig's book, Gilbert's journal had an identical black and white card, engraved with the roman numeral XIII and the word "Death" written just below it, marking a page in the book. Gilbert took it off the table and made his way passed his brother and toward the door.

"Bruder, vait," ludwig called after him, noticing the sadness in his eyes and becoming worried.

"Sorry Lutz," Gilbert called back without turning around. "I'm tired from my long travels. I'm going to bed now." He stopped and the door and turned back to Ludwig with a sly smile on his face. "And you shouldn't keep Feli vaiting, Lutz. you know how lonely and scared he gets at night." And Gilbert slipped away.

Ludwig blushed red. "Bruder!"

Gilbert smiled as he walked off, but the stopped and opened his eyes to look upon the moon.

"Hmm," he hummed in thought. "I vonder how everyzing's doing... Maybe I should pay a visit to Francy-pants..." He turned around and started walking again, his eyes closed. "Ja. I should do zat... before he finds out ze truth and our relationship turns awkvard..."

* * *

In a country to the south, a man looked out the window and stared up at the moon. In his hand, he held a black card with the roman numeral XV and the word "The Devil" printed at the top of the card. The picture in the middle was of himself smiling evilly. He was clad in a black military uniform lined in red, and donning the same white scarf he currently has on. In his hand, the man held a silver pipe. The background was painted with red and orange flames burning in the dark, but in the man's hand lit a purple flame instead. Yellow sunflowers decorated the corners of the picture and at the bottom of the card was the name "Ivan Stravinsky".

"So it's finally beginning has it, Big Brother..." said Ivan. "I wonder... how do you look now, little Alfie and little Mattie?" He smiled.

"Your majesty," came voice as a ginger haired man stepped into the light. "You wanted to see me?"

"Ah yes," said the King, tucking the card away into his coat pocket. He turned around with a childish smile on his face. "Good evening Seamus."

"Yes, good evening," Seamus repeated with caution.

"Seamus, I will get to the point da?" Seamus nodded in understanding. "Tell me, what is your relationship with your youngest brother?"

"... To be honest with you, your majesty, I don't know," Seamus answered truthfully. "I used to hate him. He annoyed me. Everyone always paid more attention to him, because he was better. He was the good son. The chosen son. He made me chose to run away from Spades and came here, to this agricultural country in the sound and away from the cold of the war torn north. But now that I have time to think back on everything... I've realized that he was just a kid at the time... And... I don't know, really. I don't know."

"I see," said Ivan, his eyes understanding. "So then, how would you feel if I told you that the King of Spades is dead?"

Seamus seemed genuinely shocked by that and he almost fell to the floor had he not grabbed onto the desk for support. "W-what?" he asked, eyes wide.

"The King of Spades is now dead," Ivan repeated slowly to the shaking man. "Killed... by his successor. The new King of Spades."

"... I-I see," said Seamus, not looking up. "So he's dead..." He let out a small, dry laugh. "And to think, he survived when we threw him into the river, but decides to die now. Stupid idiot." Tears fell down his face and Seamus put a hand up to stop them. His eyes and smile grew wide in insanity and he laughed. "And just when I decided I wanted to make peace. He just had to leave this world." He silently cried to himself.

"...Another reason I've called you here," Ivan spoke up, looking down a the crying man. Seamus ceased his cries and listened, but does not lift his face up to meet his King's own. "I know that you planned to return to Spades and reconnect with your family and mend your relationship with the King- no, it should be the former King now," Seamus flinched. "And I was wondering if you would wait for a while and travel there together with me. I'm sure that it won't be long before then. And you might get to see something interesting. Some Things you've missed out on by fleeing from Spades, from brother-in-law when he comes here, from its former King, and from your own guilty crimes toward your youngest brother to seek shelter here, in Clubs."

Ivan walked over to Seamus and held his hands in his own. Seamus looked up at him and Ivan gave hims his usual, childish smile. "Let's go see them together, da? I haven't seen them in a while. They must've grown up by now."

"... Who are you talking about, your majesty?" Seamus questioned, confused for he knew that Ivan has already seen Joshua grown despite the fact that he went to live with Alistair due to the mark on his body instead of stay in the country he was born in. Also, his brothers visited from time to time, for formal and personal matters, though it's usually just Alistair, and Seamus couldn't often avoid him and his third brother, but the King... The two of them usually ignored one another.

Ivan let go of Seamus' hands and smiled. "The children," he replied and walked off. "That is all for today, Duke Kirkland. You may leave now. I am tired and will be going to bed da." And he left with room, leaving behind one wide eyed and very, very shocked Seamus Patrick Kirkland.

* * *

In a dimly lit room sat a man reading a book. Suddenly the blond clinched his heart in pain and his green eyes darkened.

"So, he's dead hah?" said the man to himself, a small, sorrowful smile on his face as he played with the black and white card in his hand. The gentleman let out a small, quite sigh, closed his book and stood up. "... I suppose it's time for me to return then?" He walked over to one of the shelves and pushed the book back in. "... Home. Hmm, I wonder how much has changed since then..." Grabbing his black top hat laced with a yellow and white striped ribbon, the man walked out of his studies, his card tucked away into his coat pocket.

"Well, I've been dying to get out of this bloody country and away from that blasted Frog anyways." The man smiled and proceeded toward the harbor with the gold lion accompanying him on his journey once more, leaving behind a blue rose envelope with a red seal on it for someone to find later the next morning.

* * *

 **I don't know if I should do the accent or not...**

 **Please leave some comments in review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Declaimer: I don't owe Hetalia, it belongs to Himaruya Hidekazu.**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: The Return**

KIRIK! The chains broke and the guards pulled them off the giant, blue and silver double doors.

"We got it open!" one soldier shouted back.

"Ahh, guid," said the red haired man. "Let's gang tak' a swatch inside, shaa we, laddies."

Alfred and Matthew followed Alistair into the chained section of the large cathedral. The guards opened the door for them and bowed down as they entered.

Alfred looked around at the dark, gloomy room. The walls were painted white, but the ceiling was blue in color, with the pictures of angles.

They came to a stop in front of the steps and looked upon the alter.

"So, that's the clock?" Alfred asked, looking at the antique blue and silver grandfather clock.

"Aye," Alistair replied.

Alfred walked up the seven steps and moved around the table to stand it front of the clock. Alistair and Matthew followed him, but as he passed the white alter, Alistair stopped and put a hand on its smooth surface, his eyes sad and reminiscing.

"It's not moving," said Matthew, noticing that the clock seemed to be stuck at 1:07 Roman numerals.

"Nae," Alistair looked up, his hand still on the alter. "It moved. Th' minute hain used tae be oan 1:06. It moved a body minute forward."

Alfred narrowed his eyes on the alter. "That's..." He said, and suddenly, he put a hand to his mouth and coughed up blood.

"Al!" Matthew shouted, worried.

"I'm okay," assured Alfred, putting a hand up to stop his brother while his other covered his bloodied mouth. He glared at the offending alter.

"What is that-... That- this feeling?" he asked, clinching his heart as tears fell down his face.

"Al?" Matthew questioned, confused and conserved. Yet, tears also fell down his own face as well.

"What is that alter?" Alfred asked, Matthew supporting him up.

"..." Alistair looked down at the alter. "Thes it's whaur aw th' holy items ur usually placed, ye ken."

"On that place?"

"Aye. Oan thes lace." Alistair turned his body fully toward it. "Nae a body can break, ur replace thes alter. At leest, nae 'at I've seen. But... Thes room ... ur raither, oan thes alter, thes huir uv a alter, was whaur ye mammy died, Alfred. 'er bluid dripped doon thes huir uv a alter..." His eyes sadden over as he traced the smooth surface.

The boy's eyes widened.

"W-what?" they shattered out, weak kneed and shocked.

"Aye," said Alistair, looking off into the distance. "I remember that day... The old Dukes and some nobles were all gathered here with the High Priestess and the former King's first Ace. Ah yes. This very room... Was where the former King slathered them all. He had no mercy. To anyone. And after that day, everything changed..." Alistair signed and turned his head away from the painful memories.

"Well, now that you've seen this place, time to clean it up and have it ready for your coronation in a few months. Lukas," Alistair called over to one of the nobles on the lower floor.

The blond youth turned from his conversation with one of the guards while said guard ran out to carry out his orders.

The two Dukes walked toward each other and met on the first step to the alter.

"Yes, Alistair?" asked the stoic blond.

"Do you know when my brother's coming back?" Alistair asked.

Lukas raised an eyebrow. "You mean Victor?" he asked.

"Aye," Alistair confirmed.

"Shouldn't you know this, Alistair? I mean, you're his older brother, after all. He opens up to you more then me," Lukas pointed out.

"Aye, aye. I'm a horrible, horrible brother, I know. I got it. Don't rube it in."

"Sorry," Lukas apologized, his face still blank. "But really, why are you asking me?"

Alistair sighed. "Well, you should know why. That guy rarely returns home because of his job. I haven't seen him home in a really long time, and even when he does come home, he does whatever he needs to and then quickly leaves." Alistair looked annoyed. "And besides, your Dukedom is the one in charge of overseeing the affairs of the Church and socializing, so I thought you'd know more about this than me, since mine deals with politics."

Lukas sighed and relayed the information to Alistair just as Matthew and Alfred came down.

* * *

Francis sat in the garden of Diamond's palace and read the letter in his hand while feathering his white parrot with the other.

"So, he's gone?" asked the black man in front of him, putting down his teacup and eyeing the waters in it.

"It would seem so," said Francis, laying the letter down on top of the black and white card, a small smile on his face.

The black man sighed. "He left faster than I could tell you the news, he truly is something... To have known even before me..."

"And he didn't even tell us about it too," pouted the blond haired woman, walking up with a younger girl, both holding flowers in their arms. "And I came all the way from Hearts just to see him. How cruel he is to do this to his own cousin. Knowing that I would return, but still he won't wait for me. Really, that Arthur. Maybe I should just let Antonio go after him for me."

"Well, to be fair, Emma," her older brother spoke up from his place next to Francis, "He had been close to the former King of Spades. I think?"

"Feels like something's amiss, Tim?" Francis asked his Ace. "That is the reason why I wanted to keep Arthur in Diamonds for just a little while longer..." He glanced up toward the sky while the petite girl by his side closed her eyes and sipped her tea.

"And here I thought you were going to play matchmaking again, brother," she said.

"Monica," said Francis, looking at his younger sister with a small hit of hurt in his eyes. "I don't think I can stomach it if I lost you to Spades too. It already came as a big shock to me when I lost your younger sister. No, if I'm going to arrange your marriage to someone, I'd rather it be to that young lord Vargas from Hearts."

Monica blushed.

"As expected of the person chosen by The Lover's card," said the black man sitting. "You're ability to perceive such things exceeds everyone else's."

"But of course," Francis said with pride.

"Just don't start manipulating other girls feelings just for your own satisfaction, you Perverted King," Vash said from his place standing next to Lily. "Or I will us my card on you." He glared at Francis as a black and white card appeared in between his fingers.

"Geeze, only been married for a few months, and you're already this protective."

"He's always been this protective of her. Even before the marriage," Henri and Tim both pointed out, causing Emma to sigh at her brothers' similar behaviors.

"Ahh," Francis sighed dramatically. "I can help others get together, but my love life sucks. My precious baby sister left me to go back to Spades, Monica doesn't like my dotting on her, and my own Queen married another. And it just so happens to be my own Jack, just like Clubs! How cruel. How heartless." He faked tears.

"Well, they both knew each other way before they knew the King," Emma pointed out. "And they did have a closer relationship, growing up while living together and all that."

"True," Francis whimpered. "But still..." He looked over tot eh young queen who was making a flower crown for her husband. More tears fell down Francis' face at the picture.

"What of that other girl?" the black man standing next to the one sitting down spoke up. "The school teacher-" Tim elbowed him, causing him to yell out in pain.

Francis stopped his whimpering, his face set in a deep frown.

"Two new tarot cards have appeared," said the High Priest, his eyes closed and the air around him suddenly shifting. He gained everyone's attention with those words and caused them to turn serious.

"Oh. That makes twenty cards in total," said Lily.

Vahs nodded grimly. "And only two more left to be found..." he finished.

"Do you know where?" asked Monica, her blue eyes set on the black man and her hands ready to record down whatever he says in his current state.

"Do you know which cards?" Emma added.

The High Priest opened his eyes and shook his head. Monica wrote some words down into her book.

"So, recapt," she spoke up, quill back in her hair. "At current, we know that all four nations have tarot cards and we know that, so far, we have four cards and Hearts has the most, with seven cards, one of them being shared with Spades. So that only leaves nine cards divided between Clubs and Spades, with Spades having a sured number of three cards in their possession, including the one share with Hearts. And Clubs is... well, we assumed them to have four cards, but we still don't know that for sure."

"Though the bigger problem is, who has which card..." said Emma.

"King! You have company!" came a call from the castle.

Everyone looked over to find one of their dukes walking up to them with an albion in red next to him.

"Ah," said Francis, getting up and walking over. "Gilbert. How nice of you to visit."

Gilbert laughed. "Sorry to come unannounced," he apologized. "I see Arzur has left." He raised an eyebrow. "Just found out about zee new cards?"

"Yes," said Francis. "Biju has just informed us. Did little Feli-"

"Yeah," said Gilbert. "Lutz told me zis morning ven I vent to tell him I vas coming here. He wasn't too pleased zat I vas leaving again."

"You used your card's power to get over here faster, I take it," Francis commented, to which Gilbert nodded.

"Well, Gils, you are his Jack," Emma stated. "And you haven't been present in the country for how long? What have you been doing during those times anyways? I'll have you know that it's not my husband's job to keep up with the military just because he came from the dukedom that oversee that affairs. Antonio's the Ace, not the Jack, Gilbert."

Gilbert laughed. "So vat? Tony likes it. And all sings considered, he has a pretty good grip vith zee navy anyvay, considering the family he came from... And besides, Lutz vill be fine vith just Bernardo and Mathias overseeing the affairs of the army for him."

"You do realize that Mathias is only a knight, right?" Francis questioned.

"He's merely a knight, yes, but he's my best general and is capable of replacing me," said Gilbert, sitting down at the table.

"Well then," Biju spoke up as he stands. "Gupta and I will excuse ourselves for today." The two bowed and left with Nattawat, who happily questioned them why they looked so grim only for Gupta to reply that he accidently brought up a taboo topic in front of their King. And the three walked away in silent after that, Nattawat petting his pet elephant.

* * *

Alfred stood in front of the palace, Matthew right next to him. He fidgeted in his cloths, looking down at his feet.

"Alfred," Matthew whispered from his place standing next to him.

Alfred looked up and met with his brother's hard glare.

"Behave," said Matthew. "I know you don't like these kinds of things, but this is important eh."

"I know, I know" Alfred grumbled out before turning to the red haired man on his right. "Do we really have to do this?"

"Aye," Alistair answered. "I already told you, it's important she be present at the carnation. Besides, you need to meet her and the Jack. The monarchs must know the Four Dukedoms, the Ace, the Jack, and the High Priest or Priestess of their countries. They are the most important position. Not to mention, that guy's returning with her."

Alfred sighed and looked up once he heard the sound of an eagle. Alfred held out his arm and the bald eagle landed on it before moving to his shoulder. Alfred smiled at his pet pail before looking up front as the carriage arrived soon after.

Everyone straighten up as the carriage came closer, and they all waited for their High Priestess, the critical person in Alfred's crowing ceremony, to step out of the carriage and onto the Church's holy soil once more.

The first person to step out of the carriage was a brown haired man dressed in blue. After glancing at Alfred and Matthew, the man went over to one of the Four Dukes standing in the front with Alfred and Matthew.

"I'm back, Jai Long," he said, petting the boy's head with a small smile on his face. "Did you miss me while I was gone?"

The boy bowed to the older man. "Welcome back, Father," Jai Long, the Duke of the Wang family who deals with the economy, respectfully greeted his father, his face just as stoic as the two Dukes before him. Although Alfred noticed him blushing a bit and tried to hide it behind the long sleeves of his blue cloths.

After him came a brunette dressed as a priestess. The High Priestess's handmaiden. She, instead of going off, stood to the carriage, toward the side of the horses.

Next came a brownish-blond haired man whose appearance caused Alistair to smile, but for Matthew and Alfred's eyes to widen.

The blond gentleman stepped off to the side, opposite from the maid, and held out his hand, bowing his head.

After greeting his son, Yao glanced toward the side and narrowed his eyes at the boys next to Alistair.

"So, you are the new Ace and King of Spades aru," he said, studying them.

"Yao, please be respectful," came a soft voice from inside the carriage.

Yao backed off with a salute bow, and Alfred and Matthew noticed that all the guards, members of the clergy, and the servants bowed their heads in respect while the knights stood up straighter, their swords held in front of them in a formal manner. The nobles of higher rank also stood straighter at the sounds of small bells ringing.

A small hand with silver bells and a blue diamond bracelet took hold of the outstretched hand, as a young girl dressed in a sky blue dress and a warm white winter cloak stepped out of the carriage and onto the ground. She also wore a blue hat covered in white silk veils that hides her face from view.

Tears fell down Alfred and Matthew's faces as Victor led the young High Priestess, who seemed to be around the age of a late elementary to early middle school student, over to them.

"U-uncle/Uncle Dylan?" Matthew and Alfred whispered at the same time, shocked.

Victor merely smiled at the two and looked to the girl next to him.

The High Priestess let go of his hand and stepped up to the two. She reached out her hands and touched both their faces, taking them by surprise at the softness of her touch. "So... you've killed them..." She sounded sad. Suddenly, she bowed before Alfred, shocking him, and said, in a somewhat happier tone, "Michelle Gracing greets the next King and Ace of Spades."

Victor smirked and he and the maid bowed after her. "Victor Dylan Kirkland, third son of the Kirkland Dukedom, Head Priest and Knight protecting the High Priestess of Spades, greets the new King and Ace of Spades," he said, and glanced up at Yao, who looked shocked and conflicted.

Finally, he gave up with a sigh and stood next to Vincent. "Wang Yao, the current Jack of Spades, greets the country's next King and Ace," he said.

"Welcome back. So, how was your trip to the mountain of purification? Was the hot spring warm enough for you?" Alistair spoke up. "Despite the cold, it was still sudden, wasn't it? Michelle? And you even took the Jack, the key person in charge of the military and one of the country's strongest knights, with you."

"Ah? Was I caught?" Even though he couldn't see her very clearly, Alfred knew that she was teasing and decides he likes this girl already.

"I was ordered by the King to follow her aru," Yao defended, annoyed.

"You and the former King did have a good relationship, my Lady," Victor remarked, coming to stand by her side.

Michelle elbowed him, causing him to laugh. "As if," she said. "I hated him. And Gilbert was a bit of a pervert, but I do admit that I'll miss him greatly. Especially since he helped me get on that jerk's last nerves all the time when he's not harassing me."

"That is true," Yao remarked. "You three did have a friendly relationship aru. But the King, I mean former King, teased you a lot and the two of you bickered back and forth like cats and dogs all the time aru."

Michelle huffed and crossed her arms. "He annoyed me," she retorted rudefully, then shivered as a cold winter wind blew by.

"Ahm. Why don't we go in and talk there instead," Lukas stepped up. "I'm sure that it'll be much more comfortable, and the travelers must be tired from their long journey."

"Of course," said Alfred. "Well, miss High Priestess?" He held out his hand to her, shocking her a little and missing the looks on the other's faces.

Michelle smiled and took his hand, letting him led her up to the palace. The others followed after them, Matthew next to Alfred while the maid stayed a few steps behind them.

"Well, looks like your job's been taken," Alistair observed with a smug smile, placing his hand around Victor's shoulder, adding his weight onto his younger brother's body. Alistair watched the two walk up the steps and toward the grand palace with a fond smile. "How does that feel?"

"Like an arrow has just been pierced through my heart," Victor sighed in resignation. "And here I thought I got ride of this now that that King and Ace is gone. But no, the new King and Ace seems drawn to her too."

Alistair laughed and the two walked up the steps together. "Let's hope history doesn't repeat itself, aye?" he says sarcastically.

Victor sighed. "Yes. That'd be nice." He opened his eyes and looked up at the two, his face serious. "But from what Anna told me, it doesn't seem like Michelle believes that."

Alistair stopped and his smile turned into a serious frown. "She saw something?" he asked.

Victor closed his eyes. "I don't know. But Anna said that she heard Michelle say something about "hearts" and "priestess" once. Or was it duchess? She wasn't sure she heard it right. But Michelle was definitely happy with what she saw, Anna knew that for sure."

"Well." Alistair looked up at Alfred. "Seems he has the same taste as his ancestors then. Lord knows it's too late with Matthew."

"Brother." Victor elbowed him playfully and Alistair laughed ass they walked up again. "So, that guy and Gilbert's..." Victor's eyes saddened over.

"Gone," Alistair finished, his face blank. "Come on, let's catch up." And they hurried up the steps.

* * *

Lukas stared Alfred toward the holy chamber of the High Priestess within the Cathedral. Upon entry into the hidden chamber, with Michelle's permission, and the place that only a selected few were allowed in, both Alfred and Matthew quickly took note of all the white cloth hanging from the ceiling, as well as the pureness in the air and the cool breeze in the room. In the middle of the white room was a large circular pool filled with blue, pink and purple lotuses. Behind it lies the resting altar of the High Priestess and that was where Lukas directed Alfred toward.

Alfred and Michelle walked the few steps up and Michelle stood in front of the white altar decorated with blue flowers and purely white and light blue silk cloth.

The priestesses drought out chairs, small tables, tea and snacks for everyone. Alfred's chair was placed next to Michelle's alter while everyone else sat down below. How close they were to the altar seemed to be depending on their positions, as Matthew was able to sit on the first chair closest to Alfred, Alistair next to him. Opposite from Matthew was Wang Yao, the current Jack in charge of the training and overseeing the affairs of the military. Next to him sat his eldest child, Wang Jia long, the current duke in charge of overseeing the economy of Spades and reporting to the monarchs in regards to it. Victor stood to Michelle's left, Anna only a few feet behind him. Sitting next to Jia Long was Lukas Bondevik, the duke in charge of social aspects of the country, which includes schoolings and overseeing the affairs of the Church as well as caring for the High Priestess. And opposite from him, and sitting next to Alistar, was Berwald Oxenstierna, his uncle and the duke in charge of training and overseeing the military along with the Jack. Overall, it looked like they were holding court in the throne room, except this was not the throne room and only a few selected people were present instead of the entire court.

The men took off their hats and placed it on the table provided for them. Yao took the liberty of having tea right away to relax himself from the long travels.

"Dylan," said Michelle.

Victor bowed in understanding to her one word order and waved the other priestesses away, leave only Anna in the room with them. Once they were gone, Michelle reached up to her head and took off her hat, causing Alfred and Matthew finally to got to see her face.

Michelle had brown hair tied into two pigtails, held together by a red ribbon on both sides. On top of her head was a long, white transparent silk cloth that seemed to glitter in the light. Keeping the cloth in place was a gold crown like necklace with blue gems in the middle. Off to one side of her hair rested a red tropical flower, surrounded by white jasmines. Matthew noticed that, sitting next to each other, Michelle's eyes were the same shade of blue as Alfred's. Unlike other priests and priestesses, the necklace she wore was not a holy cross, but a lighter gold colored necklace shaped into veins and leaves surrounded the small, blue diamonds decorated as flowers. A lighter colored giant gem, that looked like a bow, rested in between the small diamonds, a little farther up the stems than the middle.

"Well now," said Alistair, "shall we get down to business then?"

Alfred and Matthew noticed that, even though the High Priestess was there, it seemed that no one was paying much attention to her, and the Four Dukes were only discussing among themselves. And judging from the way Michelle seemed relaxed and unfazed by this, the two guessed that it was a usual thing for her to only sit in on such meetings and merely listen to them talk.

"We have about two months to prepare for the carnation," said Lukas.

"We're having it on a Sunday of April, not March?" Michelle asked.

"Yes."

"We can't go over three years, and even that's pushing it," said Alistair, and Michelle nodded in understanding.

"Aiyaa," said Yao. "Only two months. Will that be enough for the Ace to learn aru? I mean, he need to manage the finances aru. Before now, everything belonging to the Ace was handled by the late King aru. Well he be all right aru?"

"You shouldn't underestimate my brother, Yao," Alfred spoke up in defence to his quite, blushing brother. "He learns fast. And besides, we've already learned some stuff from Alistair and the late Ace, Gilbert.'

"Gilbert aru?" Yao shouted out, standing up and appearing shocked at this news.

Matthew winched at the volume and his grip tightened on his pants, trying hard not to cry. Alfred noticed his brother's pain and, worried, reach out for him only to be stopped when he felt Michelle pulling on his coat. He turned toward her and saw Michelle holding up Kumajiro in her hands, a smile on her face.

"Annalise found him next to the carriage and brought him along," she said.

"Oh," said Alfred. He didn't notice that. "Thanks."

Alfred took the bear and handed it to his brother, who accepted it gratefully, and proceeds to hug it tightly to himself, hiding his face behind the bear.

"Yao," Victor spoke up, gaining Yao's attention. He turned toward Michelle and Yao, understanding what he was trying to say, blowed down in apology.

"Aye," said Alistair. "Gilbert. He was the late King's new Ace, his shadow."

"But- but-... Gilbert. My best knight." Yao's face turned pale as he stumbled back into his chair, Jia Long helping him. "... But I guess this explains why he seems so close to the King and why he, out of everyone else, stays by him... But still, I thought he said that-"

"He hated the late King," Alistair interrupted. "He may have lied, he may have not. I don't know. But their relationship did seemed close, didn't it?"

"Well, he was close with you two aru," Yao narrowed his eyes at Alistair, who merely shrugged.

"Moving away from that topic," Lukas spoke up. "We still have other matters to discuss, such as the finding of the Queen?"

Alfred's eyes widened at that and he almost fell out of his chair. Michelle hide her giggles behind her sleeves.

"W-what?" he asked. "C-can't we go without?"

"No," said everyone but Matthew. Even Kumajiro spoke up, causing Alfred to glare at him.

"B-but the late king-"

"Went without one," Yao finished. "We know. But look how he turned out without a Queen by his side to keep him sane."

"A Queen is very much adviced in Spades," said Michelle. She looked at Alfred. "It'll be nice if you can find the Queen, Alfred. A Queen hasn't been in throned for a long time now... and that, to us, is not good."

All the dukes nodded in agreement, their faces serious and gloomy.

"A Queen is necessary to this country's survival," Michelle continued and Alfred sighed. "But it doesn't mean marriage for you, Alfred."

"It doesn't?" Alfred quickly asked, a bit excited at the thought of not having a political marriage.

"No," Michelle answered, a knowing smile on her face that caused Alfred to blush in embarrassment.

"Well- that is- I thought," he tried to defend himself, only for Michelle's smiles to widen even more. "A-all the previous rulers were married, weren't they?"

"Well, yes," said Michelle, giggling.

"Because they have to work alongside each other, they usually end up together. So instead of having two separate events, they just combined it to save national budget aru," Yao explained. "But that doesn't mean it always works out aru."

"The position of King and Queen does not mean that you are destined for each other," Lukas added. "It just means that you are born as the most fitted person to the position. Sometimes... Usually..." His eyes trailed off to the side.

"Aye, just look at my aunt and the late King of Diamonds, for example," said Alistair. Michelle stopped giggling. "They married during the carnation, after only knowing each other for about a month or so. After having a son together, it turns out, the King's attention shifted to the his Queen's handmaiden, whom she had brought along from Spades. Besides, he only married due to the expectations of others, not that I'm saying that my aunt was not pretty. No, she was a real beauty. Her and aunt Eleanor."

"Yes. Otherwise, he won't have done that and instead, made that handmaid his consort instead of concubine and start all that jealousy drama aru," Yao added, and Victor and Alistair nodded in agreement, both with a frown on their faces at the horrible memory.

But they were not the only one with a frown. Matthew noticed that Michelle seemed to be in the same boat as them. However, she smiled kindly back at Matthew when she noticed him staring, causing him to blush and look away.

"So... I don't have to get married?" asked Alfred.

"Nae," said Alistair, his arms crossed and an amused smirk on his face.

"Not unless you want to," said Victor, smiling kindly.

Alfred breathed out a sigh of relieve. "Oh, good," he said.

"So how are we going to find the Queen aru?" asked Yao. "Using the military aru?"

"No," Berwald spoke up for the first time, shocking both Alfred and Matthew, who has never heard him talk before now.

"... Okay then," said Yao. "Now what aru?"

"We could make an announcement?" Matthew suggested.

"It's not that easy aru," said Yao.

"Last time was all full of fakes," said Alistair. "And it gave us so much more work and headache. No, not going through that again. Especially considering how handsome you are, Al."

"Er... I'll take that as a compliment, thanks," said Alfred, unsure of how to receive that.

"It was chaotic," said Berwald, and the others grimly nodded in agreement upon remembering it.

"The King didn't even care, aru," said Yao. "He left us with that task while he went off to war with Diamonds, for no apparent reason other than the fact that he hated the current King's guts for a matter of the past aru."

"Um... How about a ball then? Just for the occasion and for the purpose of looking for a Queen?" said Michelle. "Or maybe a ball just before the carnation or one for Spring, if we can't manage that one? We don't usually have any kind of balls now, due to the late King's mood and his unwillingness to meet the public, but I remembered that we used to have them, didn't we?"

"Yes," Alistair confirmed. "There were some."

"My Lady," Lia long spoke up. "You do know that the festival in the spring is called the annual Flowers Festival, yes?"

"Oh?" Michelle raised an eyebrow.

"The King- ah, I mean, late King, changed the name sometime after he was in throned. It's the now same name as the one they originally have in Clubs." Michelle nodded in understanding. "And even though the palace does not celebrate these events and festivals, the town's people still do."

"Oh, yes. The town is full of people then," Matthew spoke up loud enough for everyone to hear. "Maybe we could invite potential candidates?"

"No," said Alistair. "It should be open to everyone, since anyone with Spades' blood flowing through their veins could become Queen, if one hadn't already been chosen at birth. But then again," He turned toward the smiling Michelle, "you haven't said anything about that either, Michelle."

The others nodded in agreement.

"Hmm, prophase we could invite the noble family of Spades to the palace for the ball at night," said Michelle.

"And have the palace opened in the day time for ordinary people to come and visit?" continued Matthew. "This way, Alfred won't have to leave the palace to find his Queen and we could cross all the nobles and the towns people here out of the way..."

"And if we can't find the Queen, then Alfred will just have to be crowned without one and we can find the Queen later," said Lukas.

"The Queen will have to show up eventually," Berwald added in blankly.

"That won't be necessary," said Michelle, smiling. "We'll find the Queen in time for the carnation."

Yao and Jia Long breathed out a sigh of relief at the prospect of not having to spend too much money. "I suppose we could make it work aru," said Yao. "But which event should we choose? A ball now or have one during the Spring festival aru?"

Everyone thought on that for a moment.

"How about we take a vote?" Alfred suggested.

"Ahh, doing your kingly duties already, are ye, laddie?" said Alistair, a proud smirk on his face.

"Technically speaking," Lukas spoke up. "It is his job, even if he's not officially in throned yet."

"No King/next King," Berwald and Jia Long pointed out.

"True... alright then," said Yao. "We'll take a vote aru."

"Okay then," said Alfred. "So who wants a ball just for the purpose of finding a Queen?"

The four dukes and Yao looked at each other wearily, remembering the last time and how that had turned up for them. It was a good thing that the King was able to recory their economy quickly, even though he didn't care and didn't want to do it in the first place, nor was he ever even there for such things. He truly was different from the other monarchs before him, despite his notorious reputation.

"Okay... So," said Alfred. "Who wants one in March in celebration of Spring?"

Michelle happily raised her hand and everyone soon followed, giving in.

"Well, that was easy," said Alfred. "We're going with Spring then."

Michelle smiled, but sighed in disappointment, confusing Alfred.

"There'll be a lot of people coming into the palace, and some will want to see you," said Victor, trying to cheer her up.

"Yes, I know. But I can't meet them face to face nor can I enjoy the festival without being guarded," Michelle pointed out. "It's so tiring."

"Well... There's still the parades to look forward to, isn't there Michelle?" said Victor,

"Yes, but..." Michelle's eyes saddened over. "Again, I won't get to see it in person though. I'm not allowed out, remember? All I can do is stand at the top of one of the towers and look on from behind a veil, or look through the enchanted mirrors..."

Victor merely smiled sadly back at her.

"Enchanted mirrors?" Matthew spoke up, curious.

Michelle held up her hand and an oval mirror with a blue surface and light gold frame appeared, floating just above her open palm. She handed the small mirror over to Alfred and it floated on his hands, showing him the picture of the familiar shoreside from Alfred's childhood.

"Enchanted mirrors," said Michelle, bring Alfred's attention back to her smiling face. "I have the power to control them. The former King used them to check up on others inside and outside the palace without having to go out or be seen. Sometimes he even has me look into other nation's problems, but doing that takes a lot out of me, since I'd have to breach the protective barrier I've placed around the land, yet still keep them intact, all the while bidding his command."

"He did call you up to his room a lot, didn't he?" Yao remembered. "So that's what he wanted from you... No wonder you always looked so tired afterwards."

"And you wonder why I hate him."

"So you've never been outside, then?" asked Matthew.

Michelle shook her head. "Not since I've become Spades' new High Priestess, no," she replied.

"How about I take you out then?" asked Alfred.

"Alfred!" Matthew spoke up.

Michelle smiled up at him. "Thank you Alfred," she said, taking back the mirror and making it disappear. "But... I can't. Doing so would be breaking the ancient rules that states no High Priest or Priestess is allowed to leave the sanctuary unveiled. As it is, taking off my hat in front of all of you is already going against the rule that says no one other than my handmaids are allowed to see my face."

"That's a little restricting, isn't it?" said Alfred, unhappily. "I mean, you basically have no freedom at all. You're like a caged bird than."

"Well..." Michelle's eyes trailed off to the side. "I think Hearts allowed their High Priest to go unveiled from time to time, but he's the only one who can...?"

"Why?" asked Alfred.

"The King gave him permission to, I think," said Michelle. "But it's limited to some days though. And besides that, he's a man, and Hearts is... different from Spades."

"How so?"

"It's much safer," said Victor. "And no one wants to mess with its King, Queen, Jack or Ace, so they don't mess with the High Priest."

"Are they that good?"

"After the civil war they went through, yes. They came out stronger than ever."

"Besides, it can't be helped," said Lukas. "This is for her own protection."

"Al," Matthew spoke up. "You know what the position of the High Priest or Priestess means to the country, don't you?"

"Power to perceive the future. Power to heal and protect. Power to punish the monarchs and other face cards," Alistair listed off.

"Protected by the Sacred treasure of our land and able to use, and influence, the Cloak's powers almost just as much as the King or Queen of Spades... if such a person was to be left in public all alone, he or she could be easy target for others. Such as enemy countries, Alfred," Matthew added.

"The child blessed by Gods," said Berwald.

"If we loss such a position, our country would be vulnerable," said Victor.

"Any country would be without one," said Matthew.

"Aye," agreed Alistair. "That's why my wife went back to Clubs after it's High Priest was stripped of his divinity and exiled from the country."

"What did he do?" asked Alfred, curious.

Alistair only shrugged in reply, his eyes trailed off to the side. " You ask him that yourself when you find him, laddie," he replied. "It's not my grim story to tell."

"A High Priest is needed just as much as a King and Queen," said Jia Long, bring them back to the original topic.

"That's why the position must always be filled aru," said Yao. "Because unlike the position of the King and Queen, as we could stand by the rule of one without having an urgent need for the other position to be filled right away, the position of the High Priest must always be filled. No matter what aru."

"Well, if that is all," said Victor. "I believe court should be dismissed," he turned to Alfred, "your highness?"

"Ahh, oh right. You guys need your rest," said Alfred. "And I still have a lot of paperwork to get back to." He glanced to the side toward Matthew, who was staring back at him, and smiled innocently. "So, court dismissed. Off you guys go then."

"Of course," said Yao, getting up. "This old man is tired too, aru." Jia Long helped him walk over to the door.

"Alfred, Matthew," Michelle spoke up before the others could leave. "If you don't mind, may I please see your tarot cards?"

Everyone stopped then, their eyes wide as they turned back around to face Michelle.

"Tarot cards?" asked the boys.

"Yes." Michelle smiled. "The cards you got at the end of the revolution."

"Oh, that's what it's called?" said Alfred, reaching into his pocket to take out his card. Matthew did the same and both walked up to Michelle while the others waited in the back.

Michelle studied the two black cards.

"H-how is it, Michelle?" Yao asked.

Michelle looked at him and shook her head. "Blank," she said.

"Blank?" asked Yao, confused.

Michelle nodded. "They haven't experienced the painful event that would ignite their Awakening yet," she explained.

"Ah, I see," said Yao, seeming to remember his own painful experience that had caused him to mysteriously come into possession of the tarot card and for a new symbol to appear on his body. An event that he feels he doesn't fully remember, as if a piece of the event had been lost in time, but knows that it's complete.

It was the same with Lukas and Jia Long on day as well. The day the former King went mad and killed his first Ace, the former High Priestess, and the former three Dukes in that Cathedral. The day the Sacred Cloak of their country stopped moving, frozen on the time order was defined.

"What are you guys talking about?" asked Matthew.

"Yeah, what are tarot cards?" questioned Alfred, confused.

"Tarot cards have powers far surpassing the minor Arcana aru," said Yao, walking back with a black card in his hand. "Depending on the cards, one can obtain unimaginable powers. Powers not know to them. Powers not fully understood. Dangerous, and rare powers."

"Okay," said Alfred. "That still doesn't really explain what they are."

"They are the major Arcana," said Michelle. "There's twenty-two of these card." She held up the cards in her hand. "Each card has a different number and is suppose to be given to twenty-two different person. These cards enhanced our powers and gives us other abilities unlike our own, such as the universal ability that all of the card wielders seems to possess."

"Abilities," Alistair picked up, "like immortality, the ability to communicate with animals and give life to objects or bestow immortality onto others-" Alfred and Matthew's eyes widened at that as they both looked down at Kumajiro, the stuffed bear Matthew received when he was four and who had had started moving around and talking when the boys were eight, "and the ability to teleport to different places in a sort amount of time. These cards have more powers than any King or Queen of a country, many even more than all of them combined."

"What?" Alfred eyes widened.

"It's that powerful?" questioned Matthew, shocked.

Michelle nodded her head. "I don't know much about it," she said. "I only read about them in an ancient text I came across in this place. But I know that Jia Long's tarot card, card number X, "The Wheel of Fortune", allows him to change a person's fortune and he has extremely good Luck with money. Him and his twin sister, Xiao Mei, brings very good income to the country they serve."

"I still don't know what that girl's really thinking," Yao said grimly. "Running away with him like that..." His eyes saddened over and Jia Long put an hand on his for comfort. Yao smiled up at him in return and for once, Jia long let a small smile slip into view.

"The card also give them fighting abilities that normal citizens doesn't have, such as enchanted weapons and control of other elemental powers not corresponding to the nation's normal powers," Victor added.

"Yao and Jia Long can control fire while Lukas can control water," Alistair explained. "And their weapons are a lot more powerful than ours, and they can have more then one weapon and special abilities."

"Yao's tarot card, card number V "The Hierophant", allows him to spirit travel and read other's emotions to the point of controlling them, even," Michelle continued.

"Meaning he could manipulate the minds of others," said Lukas.

"He's also shown high charisma," said Victor. "Able to make others follow his words without even doing very much. His words are so powerful, he could cause people to make peace with each other."

"But never go to war," said Jia Long.

"Not yet," said Alistair.

"Not ever aru," said Yao. "I've enough of fighting these meaningless wars and struggles for powers aru."

"Lukas' card on the other hand," Michelle shifted her eyes to Lukas, who had his card in his hand, "is a little different."

Lukas showed his card to Matthew while Yao and Jia Long gave theirs' to Alfred. The brothers compared the cards and noticed the the only differences were the words and the picture in the middle. On Yao's card was a picture of him in a red and white traditional qipao lined with gold. Around him was a long red cloth. In the picture, Yao was holding a scroll and an ink brush in one hand, and a monk's staff in the other. Behind him was an gold, oriental dragon. Peony flowers decorated the corners of the picture.

Jia Long's card had his picture and another girl's picture on it. He was dressed in a red qipao while she was dressed in a pink one. In her hair were pink peony flowers with red strings attached and falling off of it. The girl, Xiao Mei, had her eyes closed and wore a smile on her face while Jia Long's eyes was partially closed and glanced up toward her as he bore a small frown instead. Both of them had their hands held up, Xiao Mei holding a white sun in one hand and a lovely pink fan, with ribbons coming off of the bottom, and a yellow talisman written in red in her other hand. Jia Long held a white flower in one hand, holding it close to Xiao Mei's own, while the hand reaching out held a spear with red chinese fireworks tied to it. They were both standing behind a golden brown wheel. On the bottom of the picture was one red oriental umbrella on Xiao Mei's side while a white tiger with black stripps rested on Jia Long's side. Under Xiao Mei's red umbrella rested a gold chinese lantern while next to the tiger was a panda and with a red rose in its hands. Peony flowers decorated the bottom corners while white lilies decorated the top, and emerging from the darkness at the top was a gold oriental dragon.

Lukas' card was card number XX, "Judgement". The picture given was of Lukas, only dressed differently. And just like Yao and Jia Long's picture, the Lukas in the picture was missing the symbol of Spades on his hat. Instead of his solar blue hat, he had on a black and white military hat. And instead of the long blue teach coat, blue pants, and purple vest, he was wearing a black military uniform with a white undershirt and a black neck tie. His black boots and the gold clip in his hair were the only things that remained the same. He seemed to be hovering in mid air, and in his left hand, Lukas held a sword in front of him, silver chains wrapped loosely around it, while his right hand held an open book. Ancient words highlighted in blue came out of the book and surrounded him like chains as blue, almost transparent leaves few about in the shadowed skies. Bushes of green leaves with pixies and fairies in it decorated the corners of the picture while the image of a smiling, gold colored troll appeared in the background, behind Lukas, one arm reaching out while the other held a gold trumpet to his lips, looking about ready to blow the horns into the heavens above.

"Lukas's cards allows him to punish anyone he sees fit, and he's usually not wrong about the true character of that person. But Lukas is a person who doesn't talk much and prefers to observe and carry them out instead," said Victor.

"In a way, his powers far surpasses an ordinary High Priests and Priestesses, as he can purify and bind others from running away much more efficient than a normal purification and binding spell would allow. Not only that, but he can also punish us High Priests and Priestesses as well," Michelle continued.

"He can also summoned trolls instead of dragons, and make his writings come to life and have powers by writing in that book of his," Jia Long added, pointing to the book in Lukas's arm.

"I have a similar power aru," said Yao. "But instead of writing in books, I draw things in a scroll and the things I draw come to life aru. Jia Long can do it too aru."

"Alfred, Matthew," Victor spoke up, causing the boys to turn toward him. "Tell me, how old do you think Yao is?"

"I don't know," said Alfred. "Younger then Alistair?" Yao laughed.

"Oay, oay, oay," Alistair spoke up. "I'll tare ye apart for that, loon. It's degrading, and I'll have you know that I am not that old."

"I'm only a year older then you aru," Yao defended.

"Wait, wait what? You're older then him?" Alfred asked the smaller man, pointing to Alistar in disbelieve. Yao nodded his head. "So then... how old are you really?"

Yao turned back to him and frowned. "It's not polite to ask about one's age. But if you really want to know, I am 45 years old aru," he answer.

"45?" Alfred shouted out. "But you- your-"

"It's impolite to point your fingers at your elder aru," Yao blankly stated at the finger in front of him. "Actually," he looked up at Alfred, "it's impolite and rude to point at an older person in general aru." Alfred blushed and retrieved his hand back.

"So then you're 44 years old, Alistair?" Matthew asked, going up to Alistair.

"Aye," he replied. "And Berwald is the same age as me while Dylan is 41, Lukas is 40, and Jia Long is 20."

"20?" Alfred turned toward the shorter boy, shocked. "You're older than us?"

"Yes," came Jia Long's blank replied.

Alfred was in total disbelief. "Man, you guys sure don't look it," he commented.

"That's because we, for some reason, stopped aging a long time ago aru," said Yao.

"We don't really know why," said Victor. "But we know that we are not the only ones."

"Eh?"

"There are others like us, all from different countries and all in high position within the country," Lukas continued.

"That tells us that there are more people with tarot cards," Michelle explained. "Other countries possessed them too, but all of us are trying to keep the identity of the cards we have in our possession a secret and who has them hidden from the enemy."

"However," Lukas spoke up. "Due to our unaging youthfulness and our quick healing abilities, the other countries could already tell that we've come into possession of these tarot cards. Not to mention, their High Priest and Priestesses can tell when a new card has appeared."

"The real problem we all have is figuring out who has the cards and who was just cursed with this youthfulness and fast recovery ability aru," Yao continued.

"So wait," said Alfred. "Alistair doesn't have a card?"

"In this room," Lia Long spoke up, his face remaining passive, "only Father, Lukas, and myself have an active tarot card. The others were just somehow stupidly cursed with youthfulness and fast recovery skills."

"And now the two of you have joined us," Michelle spoke up, throwing the cards back to Alfred and Matthew, who's quick reflexes allowed them to turn around in time and catch it. "Granted, your cards are still blank, but it still means that the number of cards in our possession has increased."

"The High Priests and Priestess can also identify the person with the card, and sometimes what card, upon seeing them, usually," Victor added.

"Usually?" asked the brothers.

"Sometimes, some card are too powerful or their holder has mastered it so well, that they are able to hide it from us," Michelle explained. "As it is, we know that there are twenty out of twenty-two cards present, and we know that Hearts has the most cards, as they are in possession of seven, with one being shared with us.

"We don't really know about Diamonds," Lukas continued. "But it's a definate that they have one."

"Francis shows off too much," Victor smiled, a hand on his temple while Michelle sweat dropped, a smile on her face.

"Clubs has three," Alistair put in.

"And we also have three definite cards and two unidentified, so that gives us five cards in total aru," Yao finished.

"That leaves us four cards that we don't know a freaking thing about," said Jia Long.

"The holder of those four cards are too powerful to be identified," said Michelle, looking a little pale. "There is a strong power protecting them, blocking them from our reach..." Her eyes gazed over. "It's especially strong on two of them..."

"You look tired, Michelle," Victor commented.

"I'm okay," Michelle smiled back at him, before turning to the others. "Are you okay, Yao?"

"Yes," said Yao. "But I would like to get some rest now aru. Goodbye everyone." Jia Long helped his father exit the room, Lukas and Berwald following after.

"Well, I'll go find my son then," said Alistair. "He's probably waiting in the courtyard with Vincent and Kyle." He turned back toward Victor. "You really shouldn't neglect your son, you know that? Our family's brotherly reputation is already bad enough as it is, we don't need to add the children to it." He walked out. "Damned stupid pirates."

Michelle and Annalise tried to hide their giggles while Victor sweat dropped, a small smile on his face as he followed after his elder brother.

"And just whose fault is it that we have this reputation?" he muttered. "Honestly, if you... we only we hadn't bullied him so much..." He sighed and walked out the room. "Stupid Kirkland stubbornness and vengeance, I swear we got too much of Clover's blood in us."

"Well, we still have work that needs to be done," said Alfred.

"It was nice meeting you, Michelle," Matthew bowed, Kumajiro held in his arms.

Michelle smiled. "Wait," she said. "Your charms."

The boys stopped, eyes wide as their hands went to thier pants pocket, the place where they kept their broke charms. The brothers had noticed that it was broke the night the revolution ended.

"It's broke, isn't it?" she asked. "I'll fix it for you."

"You will?" asked Alfred, turning back with his eyes widened.

Michelle nodded her head. "I'm a priestess, I can do that," she answered.

Alfred and Matthew smiled and, taking out their charms, handed it over to Michelle. Michelle took the two charms and held them together in her hands. She brought her arms closer to herself and suddenly, her form glowed light blue and both Alfred and Matthew could feel the holy powers coming off of her. Once finished, she opened her eyes and handed the newly fixed and empowered charms back to the two.

"Here you are,"s he said.

"Wow," said Alfred, taking back his charm. "Thanks Michelle." He clipped it to his belt and Matthew did the same with his.

"Yes, thank you, Michelle," he said.

"You're welcome," she replied. "If you two need anything, or just need someone other then each other to talk to, you can come to me, okay?"

"Sure, thanks Chelles!" Alfred called back as he and Matthew walked out the door, leaving Michelle alone in that white room once more.

"I can't wait until Spring arrives, Anna," she said to her most trusted maid. "I wonder how long it'll be... until we could all meet each other again." She looked up toward the astral paintings on the ceiling, the stars and planets moving about as if they were real.

* * *

 **I introduced a lot of characters here, so I will list them with their country name just in case you were confused.**

 **Spades**

 **Alfred F. Jones- America,** King of Spades

 **Michelle Gracing- Seychelles,** High Priestess of Spades

 **Matthew Williams- Canada,** Ace of Spades

 **Wang Yao- China,** Jack of Spades

 **Alistair Kirkland- Scotland,** Duke of Spades in charge of overseeing the political branch of the government with the Monarchs.

 **Victor Dylan Kirkland- Wales,** Head Priest of Spades

 **Kyle Kirkland- Australia,** a knight of Spades

 **Joshua Kirkland- New Zealand,** a priest of Spades

 **Vincent Albert Kirkland- Isles of Man,** a knight of Spades

 **Wang Jia Long- Hong Kong,** Duke of Spades overseeing the economy with the Ace.

 **Lukas Bondevik- Norway,** Duke of Spades overseeing the social branch of government with the High Priestess and Head Priest.

 **Berwald Oxenstierna- Sweden,** Duke of Spades in charge of overseeing the military branch of government with the Jack.

 **Hearts**

 **Ludwig- Germany,** King of Hearts

 **Feliciano- Veneziano/North Italy,** High Priest of Hearts

 **Antonio- Spain,** Ace of Hearts

 **Gilbert- Prussia,** former Ace of Spades, current Jack of Hearts

 **Bernardo- Portugal,** Duke of Hearts in charge of overseeing the military branch of the government.

 **Mathias Densen- Denmark,** a knight of Hearts

 **Wang Xiao Mei- Taiwan**

 **Diamonds**

 **Francis- France,** King of Diamonds

 **Lily- Liechtenstein,** Queen of Diamonds

 **Biju- India,** High Priest of Diamonds

 **Tim- Netherlands/Holland,** Ace of Diamonds

 **Vash- Switzerland,** Jack of Diamonds

 **Monica- Monaco**

 **Emma- Belgium** **  
**

 **Henri- Luxembourg**

 **Nattawat- Thailand,** Duke of Diamonds

 **Gupta- Egypt,** Head Priest of Diamonds

 **Clubs/Clover**

 **Ivan- Russia,** King of Clubs/Clover

 **Seamus Kirkland- Ireland,** Duke of Clubs

 **Review Please And Thank you for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Declaimer: I don't owe Hetalia, it belongs to Himaruya Hidekazu.**

* * *

 **Chapter 4: The Spring Festival**

The palace was decorated with flowers and festive decorations. Many people were walking around the grounds, enjoying the beautiful scenery and the entertainments provided for them, such as plays, picnic in the beautifully arranged gardens with the view of many different flowers blooming, and food stands, games, and performances by the guards, knights and palace servants to keep them all happy.

Matthew was dragging the unwilling Alfred around the palace, determined to find the Queen.

"Mattie, I'm tired," Alfred whined. "Can't I go play? Please? We've been doing this all day man, it sucks!" And indeed they have been searching all throughout the morning without rest, and yet, the silver pocket watch, that Alfred was given when the card of the King of Spadeslanded on him, in Alfred's coat pocket had not move at all since Michelle stopped its time so that Alfred could find the Queen.

"No Alfred," said Matthew. "We must find the Queen."

"Why can't we leave it to Yao and the others? They have that mirror Michelle gave them, they can find the Queen using it."

Michelle had even Yao, Matthew and the Four Dukes one of her special mirrors to allow them to detect real markings of the Queen on each of the citizens' body. But so far, nothing has turned up yet.

"You're not going to slack off while the others have to work hard for you, Alfred," said Matthew. "If you don't want to find the Queen, then you can go back and finish those paperwork."

Alfred pouted. "You're so mean. Just one game? Please?" He gave Matthew the cute puppy-dog face.

Matthew stared at his unreasonable brother for a moment before finally sighing and giving in.

"Fine," he said. "30 minute break."

"YEAH!" Alfred cheered and ran off.

"Wait! AL!" Matthew called after him, but soon lost him in the crowd.

Alfred laughed as he noticed that he'd lost Matthew. He had intended for that to happen, as he had wanted more time to play around then just mere 30 minutes. That wasn't enough to do anything.

Alfred had not gotten much time to himself until the guards were ordered to come after him and he had to run from them. He ended up turning a corner and entered a huge double door to hide from the Yao and the guards after him.

Closing the door, he pressed his ears to it to listened.

"Damn it, where did he go aru?" he heard Yao's voice.

"Maybe he's in that room over there, my lord?" suggested one of the guards, pointing toward the double doors Alfred had disappeared in to.

Alfred tensed him and chanted under his breath for them to go away and not find him.

Yao looked over to the room the new guard had pointed no.

"No," he said. "He couldn't have gone in there. That place is locked aru."

And he turned away, leaving with the guards to go and find Alfred somewhere else.

Alfred breathed out a sigh of relieve and slid down to the door. Suddenly, his eyes widen as he thought of something. "Wait," he said. "What does he mean it's locked?"

"He means exactly just that," came a voice from behind him and Alfred finally turned around and finally took notice of the room he'd entered.

It was a dimly lit room filled with blue roses blooming everywhere. It may have just been the light, but Alfred noticed that the leaves of the roses were black instead of green. Around the walls were blue lamps providing lights for the room and in the middle was a white fountain.

Alfred's eyes scanned the place until he came across the only other person in the room. It was a man dressed in blue, and he was standing amidst the blue roses in the garden, one rose in his hand.

"Who are you?" he asked.

The blond haired man merely smirked and looked at the single rose in his hand, spinning it about gently.

"Who I am is of no importance," said the man. "After all, I am merely a by passer." He walked over to Alfred. "But you on the other hand…" He looked down at the pocket that held Alfred's watch and he smirked. He looked back up at Alfred and the young King noted he had forest green eyes. "Shouldn't be running from your own guards, your majesty." And he walked passed Alfred.

Alfred, wide eyed, turned after him, shocked. "How did you-" But the man was already out the door and it shut behind him.

Alfred debated on weather he should follow or not, but really didn't want to get caught. And for some reason, being in this dimly lit garden alone seemed to calm him instead of frighten him like it usually wound.

Alfred walked up to one to the rose bushes and puck a rose from it. He had never seen a blue rose before, didn't even know they exited. Smiling, he decided to pick some and give them to Michelle, wanting to visit her later and tell her how he's day's been over lunch.

* * *

The man hide behind a wall and snuck a peak back at the doors he'd just excited from, his face paled.

"Oh, whatever," he said, turning away. "That girl probably has the key anyways. Now, to get out of here without being noticed... Bloody hell that power of hers has improved over the years I've not been here." Readjusting his top hat and hiding the single rose in his coat, the man made his way out, cautious of others he may run into, but appearing indifferent on the outside.

* * *

Alfred walked around the garden and picked up the different shades of blue roses along the way. He now had a banquet of three different shades of blue flowers in his grip and he had arranged it with having the royal blue color in the middle, having the smallest number, followed by a slightly lighter shade of blue surrounding it and finishing up with a light blue surrounding the outside. Once satisfied with his work, Alfred left the room, cautious still of running into the guards, and may his way to the Cathedral, where he knew Michelle would be.

Alfred peeked his head into the room and looked around only to find that there were still people sitting on the floor and that the white curtains had been placed in front of the pool. Victor was standing off to one side of the curtain and noticed Alfred slipping in.

Hiding the bouquet behind his back, Alfred stepped into the room and stood off to the side, watching as Michelle answered the questions of the people had for her and how exited they were to just see and hear her talk to them. Even if it was behind a curtain and they couldn't see her face very well.

"Alright everyone," Victor spoke up. "Time's up. The High Priestess must eat now. You can come back later."

The people, though disappointed, understood and began to fan out of the room.

Once everyone left, Alfred walked behind the curtain after Victor.

"Ah! You were right to tell us to prepare two extra sets of plate, my Lady," said Annalise, upon seeing Alfred enter. "Though I only see His Highness… where is Lord Matthew?"

"He'll be here soon, Annalise," Michelle replied just as the door cracked open once more. "See, he's already here."

Alfred stiffened and moved back just as Matthew entered.

"Michelle, have you seen-" Matthew stopped midway upon seeing Alfred. "Alfred!" He ran over and checked Alfred over, worried. "Where have you been? I was so worried! Don't ever do that again! You got the entire palace in an uproar! Moses, I swear Alfred F. Jones!"

"Now, now, Mattie, calm down," said Alfred, trying to calm his raging brother down. "I'm fine."

"Fine?" Matthew shouted, grabbing Alfred's held out hand. "Your hands are bleeding! What have you been doing eh?"

"Um…"

"What are you hiding behind your back, Alfred?" asked Victor, noticing that Alfred had one hand behind his back.

Alfred smiled and walked up to Michelle. He handed her the rose bouquet.

"For your hard work," he said. "Oh, don't worry, I got all the thrones out. Though some of them didn't even have any…"

Michelle's eyes widened upon seeing the roses. Excepting them into her embrace with a fond smile on her face, she said, "So you've found it… that rose garden…" She looked up at him. "But Alfred, how did you get in?"

"How?" Alfred repeated. "Well, it was open, and I was running from the guards, so I went in there to hide."

"So, it was open?" asked Michelle, handing the roses off to Annalise so she could put them in a vase.

"Yeah," Alfred replied, sitting down on the table that priestesses had set up for them before leaving the room at Victor's command.

"Strange," said Michelle, looking down as she pulled out a silver key. "He usually doesn't leave it open."

"Well, it was open," said Alfred. "And he was in there too."

Michelle looked up, shocked and confused. There also seemed to be a lingering look of fear on her face as well, but Alfred ignored it. "Who?" she asked.

"Who?" Alfred repeated. "Well you know… the guy you were talking about? Whatever his name was?"

"Alfred…" Michelle looked serious. "The guy I was referring to was the late King. And he's dead."

Alfred's eyes widen as his face paled over. "No wait." He shocked his head. "That guy didn't look like the late King," he reminded himself, comparing the two together. "Though they both had blond hair, their built was different. The man I met was smaller, and he had green eyes, I think. I couldn't really tell…"

Michelle's eyes widened.

"Where is he now?" Victor asked, seeming quite argent.

"I-I don't know," said Alfred. "He left, and I didn't follow him."

"Damn it," said Victor, getting up and walking over to the curtain. He stopped and turned back. "Why didn't you tell me he was coming back, Michelle?"

"I didn't know," said Michelle, her eyes close. "You know him. You know how strong he is, Dylan. Not even I knew where he's been all this time, despite trying hard to find him. What makes you think I'd know he returned if he didn't want me to know?" She opened her eyes and stared into Victor's desperate green ones with her calm blue.

Victor tsked and turned back around as Michelle went back to eating.

"Alfred," she spoke up. "Would you mind accompany me outside the palace today? I want to go out, and you said you'd take me."

Victor stopped, his eyes wide.

"W-what?" Alfred asked, shocked by the request.

"Would you please allow me to go outside? Unveiled? I want to see the parade this afternoon, but I don't want to go as the High Priestess. I want to go as a normal citizen of Spades." Her eyes saddened over. "It's been a long time… since I've been one…"

"… Okay," Alfred agreed upon seeing her sadness.

Michelle looked up at him with a bright smiled.

"Thank you-" she said.

"Alfred!" Matthew shouted. "You can't! You're supposed to be finding the Queen! And you have to go back and apologize to the others for causing trouble!"

"But Mattie-"

"My Lady," Victor had walked back toward Michelle and now stood to her side. Michelle ignored him and continued to eat. "It is against-"

"Alfred allowed it," she interrupted, looking up at Victor. "And besides, he and Matthew will accompany me. So you don't have to worry. And Matthew," she turned toward the Ace, "not everyone came into the palace today, you know. And outside is a lot bigger than in here. There are more people there to watch the parade, don't you think?"

Matthew's eyes widened at the hidden meaning of her words and he sighed, giving in. "Alright," he said.

"My Lady," Victor spoke up.

"It'll be fine, Dylan," Michelle assured him. "I won't be kidnapped. I promise. The boys will take care of me, right boys?"

"Yeah," said Alfred. "Don't worry. We won't let anything happen to our beloved High Priestess."

Victor sighed. "All right," he gave in, massaging his temples. "You children… just make sure to come back before dinner time."

"Great!" Michelle stood up and dragged Annalise into her private chambers to change.

Victor sighed and turned back toward them. "You two should change to," he said, and snapped his figures, changing the boys' clothings to look more like an ordinary nobles'.

A few moments later, Michelle and Annalise came out, Annalise dressed in Michelle's priestess clothings while Michelle changed into a plane, light blue dress with a bow tied to one side of her lip. The skirt came up to her upper knee and she wore long white socks to cover her skin. Michelle also had on light blue children's high heels with laces along the open curves and a bow stuck to the side. Annalise handed her blue clock while Victor gave their boys theirs and they all put it on.

"So, how are we going to leave without passing the guards?" asked Alfred.

"Leave that to me," said Michelle, stepping up and holding out her hands. She closed her eyes and concentrated as a white framed, body length mirror mesmerized itself in front of her. "Voila, our ticket out of here. So, who wants to go first?"

"Ah, why not? I'll be brave and go first," said Alfred.

"All right then, step right up sir," said Michelle, moving to the side as Alfred came to stand in front of the mirror. "By the way, Alfred."

"Hah?" Alfred turned toward her.

"Do you know what blue roses symbolize?"

Alfred looked confused at Michelle's smile. "No? What do they symbolize?"

Michelle's smile widened as she shook her head and said, "Just walk right through it Alfred. And you'll appear in town."

Alfred, confused, took a deep breath and walked threw.

Michelle turned to Matthew. "Matthew?" Matthew walked up and, taking a big breath of air, walked through it as well. Michelle turned back to Victor. "I'll meet him outside. Tell him not to be late." And she walked through the door.

"Got it," said Victor, turning around and leaving Annalise alone behind the curtain as the people piled into the room.

* * *

Alfred appeared in a corner between two buildings and looked around. He really was outside the palace. Matthew stepped out of tin air after him.

"Al?" he looked around for his brother only to find the teen peeking out toward the street. "Al, we still have to wait for Michelle."

"I'm here," said Michelle, appearing after Matthew.

"Hurry up, the parade's coming!" Alfred waved them over.

He took hold of Michelle and Matthew's hands once they caught up with him, and proceeded to brave through the crowd and up to the front to watch the parade.

"Ahh," said Michelle, breathing in the free air of the outside world. "It's been so long since I've been out. Sixteen years almost…"

"Sixteen years?" asked Alfred, shocked. "How old are you?"

Michelle looked pointed at Alfred. "It's rude to ask a woman her age Alfred," she said. "Never ask unless she tells you."

"Meaning," Alfred leaned in to whisper to Matthew while Michelle watched the parade pass by with childish delight in her eyes. "She's older than us. But she sure doesn't act like it."

"At times, yes," Matthew agreed. "But you can't really blame her though…"

"True," Alfred agreed. "Guess she's just like them, then. Cursed." Matthew nodded in agreement.

* * *

After the parade finished, Michelle and the boys decided to tour the town a little longer, as they still had seven hours left until they had to get back to the palace in time for dinner.

While lost in the fun of laughter and delight, Michelle stepped back and into someone.

"Oh! I'm sorry-," she looked up and met eyes with the person she ran into. She smiled. "Found you."

"Why do you always have to step on my foot, woman?" asked the man, annoyed.

Michelle smirked as she moved back. "Nice meeting you too," she said.

The man groaned before smirking as he studied her appearance and seemed in thought.

Michelle frowned. "What?" she asked.

The man met eyes with her. "Can't say you've grown since last I saw you," he said smugly.

Michelle became angry by that. "And just whose fault is that, you jerk?" she yelled out, throwing her flower crown at him. It was a good thing that a small crow had blocked her from the boys, who were still having fun with the kids. "I'll give you three seconds to run before I yell. One-"

"Oh, bloody hell-"

"Two-"

"Damn it, woman!" The man held onto his hat and made a run for it.

"Three!" Michelle launched herself after him, clinging onto the man's neck. "Help! Help! Thief!"

The man screamed and ran faster, trying to pray Michelle off of him as Matthew and Alfred finally took notice and ran after them.

"Let her go!" Alfred shouted after them.

"Oh, no duh!" said the man, sarcastically. "Like I so want to take her with me because she won't turn on me later! What does it look like I'm trying do, you bloody git!"

"Michelle!" Matthew yelled out just as Michelle fell to the ground in a heap.

He helped her up just as Alfred shot the man's hat off his head.

"Really! That hat?" the man yelled, pausing.

"You should know it's always the hat," Michelle remarked, brushing herself off.

"Yeah, they make really good targets. If you don't want to kill a person, aim for their hat," Alfred added.

"Damn it," said the man, noticing that he was cornered in and that Alfred still had his gun out and pointed toward him now.

Matthew's eyes widened at the sound he heard coming from Alfred's coat pocket. "Alfred," he said.

"Now then," said Alfred. "Returned what you stole."

"I didn't steal anything!" said the man.

"Liar," said Alfred. "Michelle said you did."

"She's the one who lied! Oh, whatever. Not like anyone ever believed me anyways." The man made a run for the streets, but Alfred's bullet stopped him.

The man glared. "So we're doing this the hard way then," he said, taking out a black cane from under his coat. He ran once more only for Alfred to open fire at him, but the man blocked with his cane.

"Damn it," said Alfred, running after him.

"Are you okay, Michelle?" Matthew asked.

Michelle nodded her head and noticed Matthew's worries. "You're brother is a real idiot sometimes, isn't he?"

Matthew sighed and carried Michelle bridal style. "I'm going to try and catch up to him," he said.

"You needn't worry," said Michelle. "I told you, we'll have our Queen in time for the carnation. Besides, with that person coming, Alfred won't need to do much."

"That person?" Matthew jumped from rooftop to rooftop in search for Alfred.

Michelle smiled. "He should've expected this when he decided to return to Spades. Now that he's back, there's no way he'll be let out again. At least, not without a fight."

* * *

Alfred chased the man down the street, switching his gun for a sword instead. "I said stop!" he called after the man.

"Like hell I would!" the man yelled back.

Suddenly, a figure landed in front of the man, and Alfred recognized the red hair of Alistair Kirkland.

Alistair looked up and green eyes met a matching pair.

"Hello Twally," smiled Alistair, getting up with his sword in his hand.

"Oh bloody hell," said the man, backing away only to be blocked by Alfred. He looked for another way out and looked up only to find Matthew standing on one of the rooftop, letting Michelle down. He glared up at her in hatred while she smiled back at him.

"I knew I felt something… How nice of you to finally come back home," Alistair spoke up, gaining the man's attention as he walked closer.

"I only came to pay respects to-" the man never got to finish his sentence as Alistair came at him and the man blocked with his cane, holding his ground. The floor beneath their feet dented at the intense impact.

"Whoa," said Alfred. "He's holding his ground against Alistair."

Matthew and Michelle came down to stand next to him. "Well of course he is," Michelle frowned just as the man pushed Alistair off of him and got up. "It'll take a lot more than that to bring him down to his knees and on the ground now a days. Alfred, take out both your guns."

The two men were now crossing swords, the smaller man trying to escape while Alistair tried to block him and bring him down to submission, all the while smiling evilly and appearing as though he was having fun.

"What?" Alfred seemed shocked.

"It'll be fine," said Michelle, bring out a sky blue bow and arrow out of thin air. "I'll reflect the attacks." Large, round mirrors suddenly surround them and blocked them off from the innocent civilians.

"Damn it, Michelle!" the man yelled out in frustration as he dodged Alfred's bullets. "I only wanted to-"

"I don't care," Alistair interrupted, blocking the bullets with his sword. "You're here now, I'm not letting you go off again, tube."

"Would you top it with the name callings already, you gormless nutter!" He dodged Michelle's arrow. "Bloody hell woman!"

"Like you should be talking!"

The two went at each other again, this time with Matthew joining. But the man was still able to handle both of them, as he held Matthew's Keyblade back with his bare hand.

"Alfred, knock him out!" Michelle ordered.

"What? Oh," Alfred ran in only to be meet with the pissed off little man's foot.

"Care to repeat that, love?" he glared at Michelle.

Michelle groaned and took aim. "You're wide open," she narrowed her yes, "you prat." And she let her arrow fly.

"What did you say?" the man yelled out, pushing both Alistair and Matthew away and grabbed the arrow with his bar hands.

"She said you're an idiot," came a voice from behind him as Alfred knocked the man to the ground and pinned him there, both hands locked behind his back.

"You bloody wanker, get off of me!" the man yelled.

"Not until you returned what you stole."

"Bli- I told you, I didn't steal anything!"

"He really didn't, Alfred," said Matthew.

"Wha-?" Alfred looked up, shocked. "But Michelle-" He pointed.

"I told you, the lass was buffing!"

"What?" Alfred looked to Michelle, who walked over to stand in front of them.

She smiled down at the man, who glared back up at her. "So, how does it feel to be on the ground for once, Mister Kidnapper?" she asked.

"I didn't kidnap you," the man retorted. "You came along willingly!"

"And you're going to come back with us willingly too, won't you?" she smiled at him.

The man face palmed himself. "This is why I'm weary of women," he said. "Learnt my lesson. _Learnt_ my lesson!" He glanced at Alfred. "And would you get off of me? What are you? An Uphill Gardener?"

"What?" Alfred asked as Michelle tried to hide her laughter.

"It's another way of saying homosexual laddie," Alistair answered, coming up behind him.

Alfred's eyes widen and he quickly climbed off the man and sat on the ground. "No," he said. "No, that's Mattie."

"Alfred!" Matthew shouted.

"What?" Alfred turned to him. "It's true."

Matthew blushed. "Still, you didn't have to say it out loud."

"Sorry bro," said Alfred. "I was just in shock."

Alistair had now taken the man off the ground, hands still behind his back. The man glared up at him and Alistair smirked back in return.

"Why do you have to keep doing this to me?" he asked. "Why can't you just leave me alone for once? Isn't what I'm doing now what you've always wanted?"

"It was," Alistair confirmed. "In the beginning. But now… I just want you back home and safe, barra." He hugged the man.

The little man blinked a few times at the affectionate nickname. "Are you trying to kill me, Alistair?" he asked.

Michelle laughed. "You guys really are bad with this kind of thing, aren't you?" she asked.

"Well, can you blame me for being suspicious? He tried to kill me more times then once! What's to say he won't do it again this time around?"

"What?" Alfred got up. "What do you mean he tried to kill you? When?"

The man glared back at them. "It started when I was eleven," he snared out.

"Did you really, Alistair?" Alfred turned to the man, who let go of the boy and the mirrors disappeared to reveal them all back in Michelle's room.

"I canceled it," said Alistair, looking down with a frown on his face.

"You may have, but he didn't."

"Artie!" Victor shouted out in happiness as he ran to hug the man. "I miss you so much."

"Somehow, I kind of find it hard to believe that you lot would miss me. What with how much you bullied me back when we were children."

"That was back then, Artie," said Victor. "We were kids who didn't know any better."

"I still won't forgive you. And I'm still leaving."

"Try it," Michelle spoke up, her blue bow suddenly turning into a gold handled rapier. "You're back in the palace now, you know. All it'll take is for one of us to call the guards or tell the others of who you are, and they'll surely go after you and won't let you go out here that easily, now that you're in."

The man glared at her. "You make it sound as though I have no way of escape," he said. "You seem to forget, love, you are not the only one here who could teleport."

"True…" Michelle's eyes glanced up and her smile widened as her eyes sparkled. "But he can ground you."

The man's eyes widened as he felt the silver chains tightened around him. He turned back to find Yao and the other Dukes standing there, Lukas with his book opened and his hands glowing as he commanded the heavenly chains. The man fell down to his knees when Lukas brought his hands down swiftly. He groaned in pain.

"Don't hurt him too much, Lukas," said Michelle. "We need him for tonight."

"I told you, I'm not staying!" The man yelled back, furious.

"You are staying," Michelle stated blankly, meeting eyes with him.

"What is going on here aru?" asked Yao. "Who is this man? And why is he here aru?"

"And where have you three been?" Lukas narrowed his eyes at Michelle, who hide behind Victor, a wide, guilty smile on her face.

"This is Arthur William Kirkland, our baby brother whose been missing from Spades for years now, and has just returned," Victor introduced.

"You have another brother?" Yao asked, his eyebrow raised. "Named Arthur?"

"Aye," Alistair confirmed.

"How come I've never known of it?"

"Hey, what's that ticking sound?" Jia Long spoke up, suddenly looking to Alfred.

Alfred dunged into his pocket and took out his silver watch. He gulped before opened it, and his eyes widened in shock at what he saw. His watch was moving. Since how long-

"It been moving ever since you ran into him, Alfred," Matthew answered his unasked question. "You were just draft not to have heard it."

"But-" Alfred looked to the man, then back to the watch. "But-"

"This is why I left you in the rose garden alone," said Arthur. "And why I called you a bloody idiot, git. You didn't even notice your own clock was ticking while in my presence."

"So it really was you who opened the door to that rose garden," said Michelle. "I knew it."

"Tsk. I shouldn't have been nice. I should've locked the git in. This always happens to me whenever I'm nice to someone. It always back fires on me."

"You're a guy!" Alfred shouted out finally.

Arthur stared up at him blankly. "No duh Sherlock. What part of me doesn't look like a guy to you hah?"

"But, but-. You're Queen! You're my Queen?"

Arthur stared blankly back at the panicking boy. "Hey," he said. "I haven't agreed to that yet."

"Agreed to it or not, you have the mark on your body," said Lukas. "Thus, you must become our Queen."

Arthur turned toward him, his eyes narrowed he met Lukas's own gaze. "And if I refuse?"

"Then go die, you eyebrow bastard."

Arthur turned toward Michelle, somewhat ticked yet a smile grace his lips at Michelle's irritated frown. "How about I drag you down with me this time love?" he offered.

"You really have no right to refuse, Artie," Victor spoke up, shifting Arthur's attention to him.

"Aye," Alistair agreed. "You escaped the clutches of the last King, but we can't let you go off again this time. You're too important."

Arthur glared at them. "So die now, or die later hah?" he asked.

"Well, either way, death awaits all," Michelle pointed out. "If you really have to die, you might as well die serving your country, right?"

Arthur glared at her and stood up, pulling the chains off of himself, much to the shock of the others down below. He glared at Lukas. "Don't ever do that to me again, Lukas," he said. "I don't like being bound, I hope you remember that, old friend."

"Sorry, Arthur," said Lukas. "Welcome back, by the way."

Arthur took a deep breath. "Guess I have no choice then," he said. "Can't run anymore, now can I? If I return to sea, you'll hunt me down and blow me up with cannons-"

"It was one time, Nyaff," Alistair defended.

"And if I escape off to other lands, you'll hunt me down and risk starting a war, so I might as well stay grounded and save you the trouble of that," Arthur finished.

"So you'll become our Queen?" Michelle asked.

Arthur glared at her. "Do you want me to or not?" he retorted.

Michelle smiled and came out from behind Victor. "Great!" She walked toward Arthur, her dress suddenly changing back to her High Priestess clothings as a card of the Queen of Spades appeared in her hand, floating just above it.

"I don't want to bow down," Arthur stated blankly. "I hate bowing down."

"I know," Michelle said in satisfaction. "But you'll have to bow down to me, and you have to get use to it, because you'll be doing it again at the carnation, so suck it up Eyebrows."

Arthur glared and gritted his teeth as he got down on one knee before her. Michelle smiled in victory.

"Wait!" Alfred spoke up, stopping everyone and causing them to turn his way. "Is this really alright? I mean, he's a guy, for goodness sakes."

"Yes, and?" Michelle questioned.

"You have a problem with me being your Queen, git?" Arthur asked.

"Yeah, I have a problem with it!" said Alfred. "You're a guy!"

"So? I can except it-"

"Yeah. After over sixteen years, you can," Michelle remarked quietly to herself, but Arthur still heard her and glared.

"Alfred," Victor spoke up. "Remember what we told you? You don't have to get married."

"And the position has no affect on gender either aru," Yao put in. "A Queen could be a man, a King could be a woman, gender doesn't matter aru."

"Really?" asked Alfred.

"Yes."

Alfred pouted. "Still though, why can't it be a cute girl?"

"If you want a cute girl, we can just put Artie back in a dress again," said Victor. "He looks really-"

"AHH! Shut up! Not doing it! I'm not doing that again, ever! If you do that to me, I'll kill myself!" Arthur said. "After I murder that bloody Frog and beat the living daylights out of you lot!"

"Hey!" Michelle spoke up.

"There's no need to be embarrassed, numpty," said Alistair. "I put Matthew in a dress and passed him off as a girl for…" He paused to count. "Was it seven years?" Matthew nodded and Alistair turned back toward Arthur. "Seven years."

Arthur got up and blankly walked over to Matthew. He patted the boy on the back in sympathy. "I'm sorry," he said. "I'm so sorry you had to go through that lad." He turned back to his eldest brother. "But I'm still not wearing a dress!"

"Okay, okay," said Michelle. "You don't have to wear a dress. Just except this card already, geeze." She threw the shining card toward Arthur, who caught it with one hand.

Arthur's clothing changed as soon as the blue sparks engulfed him, and a gold pocket watched appeared in his other hand.

The new Queen of Spades has been found.

* * *

 **Please Leave a Review!**

 **Thanks for reading.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Declaimer: I don't owe Hetalia, it belongs to Himaruya Hidekazu.**

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Clubs**

Alfred once again stood in front of the palace in formal clothing, Matthew and Arthur by his side.

"Why is the King of Clubs coming here again?" he asked, whining a little.

"I told you," Arthur said, sounding irritated. "He's coming here for our carnation."

"Why?"

"Because."

"Why?"

"Are you doing this just to annoy me, git? It's not funny." Next to him, Michelle tried to hide her giggles. Arthur glared at her. "You put him up to this, didn't you?"

"What are you talking about Arthur?" she faked innocence. "He really doesn't know what you're talking about."

"He skips lessons a lot, eh," Matthew explained, looking weary. "He likes to go off to the training grounds more, and I'm the one stuck covering up for him and filling him in later. But even then, he only listens to what he wants to and forgets all the rest eh."

"What a horrible habit you have," Arthur said, horrified. "We'll have to fix that."

"Nope, not happening," said Alfred, happily.

Arthur narrowed his eyes at the teen. "Oh yes, it will."

"So, why's that King of Clubs and his people coming here again?"

Arthur sighed and, once more, explained to Alfred the reason why the King of Clubs was crossing the ocean over to their land in the north. "The King of Clubs is coming over for our coronation, and he is the only other King who'll be here, since Clubs is an important trading partner of Spades."

"They are?" asked Alfred, looking none too please. He was weary of meeting the King of Clubs, especially after learning about what had happen in Clubs during the man's early ruling.

"Yes," Arthur answered, oblivious to Alfred's worries. "They have the foods and animal skins we need and in exchange, we provide them with new technology to help them farm their lands and mass-produce their products. Out of all the four nations, Clubs and Spades have the strongest ties with each other after the late King went to them for help with farming Spades' barren land, and that's when we started trading more with them rather than the rich landmines of Diamonds, whom we were at odds with, at the time. And while we do still trade with Diamonds for silk and arts, and Hearts for spice and medicines, Clubs is our most important trading partner because we need their wheat and grains, as well as animal skins for warmer clothings that are, as that stupid frog," Michelle coughed while Arthur looked murderous, "calls it, _fashionable_."

"So why aren't the other Kings coming than?" Alfred asked, a bit interested by the look on Arthur's face and wondering just who this "Frog" that could bring out such a strong emotion of distaste in the next Queen of Spades, enough to make him want to spite, rinse his mouth dry, and act out of his normal, somewhat gentlemanly tune, be.

Arthur tried to calm himself and Michelle took hold of his bald fist and tried to unclench them. "You bloody idiot, where you or where you not listening to what I just say?"

"What?"

Arthur took in a deep breath. "I don't want that perverted bloody frog here because I'm affair I'm going to kill him with my bare hands and I don't want Ludwig here when he doesn't need to be here! Do you understand that, bloody wanker!"

"Okay, okay, geezes, don't yell my ears off man. And who's Ludwig and the Frog?"

Matthew sighed next to Alfred. "Ludwig is the King of Hearts eh," he whispered out, gaining Alfred's attention for a moment. He was about to continued, but was interrupted and once more, lost Alfred's sort attention span on him.

Arthur shook with fury, both hands now bolted into fists. "I'm old enough to be your father, I'll have you know," he said through clinched teeth.

"What?" Alfred turned to him, shocked.

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Oh, so you heard that, hah?"

"You two seem to be getting along well," Michelle commented, praying Arthur's fingers apart.

Arthur looked down at her. "What part of this looks like we're 'getting long well', love?"

Michelle looked up at him from under her veil, and the two stared at each other for a while before Arthur turned away just as Freedom landed on Alfred's arms, and a green and silver carriage appeared in the distance.

"Ahh, they're here," said Arthur.

Once more, everyone straighten up as the party from Clubs came to a stop in front of the palace entrance.

Exiting from the first carriage was a man with brown hair and violet eyes behind a rectangle glasses. He wore similar clothing to Alfred and Arthur, except for his necktie and color of the coat, which was green. The man had a cane with him and some papers in his hands. Once on the ground, he stepped off to the side and held his hand out for the next person to come down.

The next person in the first carriage was a woman with long brown hair bearing picks flowers on one side of her head, and green eyes. Once off, the woman stood next to the man and they both awaited the last person to enter.

The next person out of the first carriage was a tall, beige haired man with violet eyes. He wore a long green coat and, unlike the other's, his was buttoned and revealed little of the white shirt underneath. His white scarf was wrapped around his neck. The ends of the scarf were painted in a light green and had a three-leave clover in a deeper green color printed on it.

In the second carriage was a girl with straight platinum blonde hair and dark blue eyes that appeared almost purple. She wore a white and green striped bow in her hair, and in the middle of the bow rested the green symbol of clubs. The second person in that carriage was also a girl, but she had long, black colored hair pulled back into a ponytail, and golden-honey colored eyes. The ribbon used to tie her hair was white and had the green symbol of clover on it. She wore a green aodia, and the minute Yao and Alistair saw her exit the carriage, they both walked up to it, Yao to take the stoic woman's hand while Alistair waited outside the carriage, his hand held out to the next person. The last person in the second carriage was the High Priestess, it seemed. The woman wore a green dress that reached the floor, and the transparent sleeves sparked in the sunlight as she took Alistair's hand. The High Priestess, just like Michelle, also wore a white cloak and a green hat with a white cloth dropping down past her shoulders, hiding her face from view. Alistair led her and the others over to the King of Clubs.

In the third carriage were three men. The first one was a teen, appearing to be around Alfred and Matthew's age, with silver-white hair and violet colored eyes. He wore a deep green colored coat lined in black. It was shorter than the others and only reached the ends of his behind. The coat was not buttoned and under it, the teen wore a white shirt with the same necktie as the older man in the longer green coat. He had a matching colored pants and black dress shoes on. On his head was a black bowler hat tied with a white and green stringed ribbon wrapped around it, forming a bow on one side. In the middle of the bow was the green symbol of Clubs.

The second person had shaggy strawberry blond hair and red eyes. He wore a green, buttoned up coat that reached passed his knee and a white belt was strapped to it. Under the coat, he wore a lighter green shirt and his necktie was a darker green ribbon held together by a deep green gem. The man also wore black pants, boots, and gloves as well. On his head, he wore a green top hat wrapped in a lighter green and black ribbon, the green symbol of Clubs placed on top of it.

The third man had ginger colored hair and green eyes. He wore a light brown colored hat wrapped in a four-striped white and green ribbon instead of three like the others before him. And unlike the others, his ribbon does not fall off his hat, and instead goes back up to the three-leave clover three times. For his cloths, he wore a green coat with a brown vest above the white shirt underneath. His necktie was the same as the teen and brunette before him, and like the man next to him, the ginger haired man had a green gem placed in the middle of his tie.

Alfred noticed Arthur tensing up next to him when he saw the ginger haired man, and he also noticed that his grip on Michelle's hand tightened as well. He seemed to have shocked Michelle, who couldn't see much behind her veil, with that action of his. But never the less, she seemed to understand and gripped his hand back in return.

Spade's monarchs made their way down to greet Clubs'.

Seeing the smile on the King of Club's face, for some reason, caused Alfred much weariness.

"Hello Big Brother," said the King of Clubs, to the confusion of many.

"Hello Ivan," Arthur replied, shocking everyone.

"Y-your majesty," the man with glasses, whom Alfred guessed was Club's Ace, spoke up, looking at his smiling King with shock.

"What Roderich?" the King of Clubs asked.

"Y-you would call-"

"Yes. I would." Ivan looked back at Arthur. "Because, not only is he my brother-in-law, but Arthur is also my precious older brother."

"And since when have you two gotten so close?" Alistair asked the question that was on everyone's mind.

Ivan and Arthur ignored it, instead still staring at each other and for some reason, this was getting on Alfred's nerve. "Is it okay if I hug you, Big Brother?" Ivan asked.

Michelle tagged on Arthur's arm and he looked down at her before looking bat to Ivan. "Sure, but she's coming along for the ride," said Arthur, pointing to Michelle with his free hand while his eyes stayed fixed on Ivan's form.

"Okay," said Ivan, going in for a big hug. Alfred noticed that the girl with the bow on her head seemed to be leaking off menace as she glared at them, a knife suddenly in her hand only for Club's High Priestess and the guy with red eyes to try and calm her down.

Alfred sweat dropped at that. "Over protective much?" he whispered to Matthew, who nodded in agreement with him, staring at the girl. "But I gotta admit, she's cute."

"Al!" Matthew whispered, hitting him.

Alfred merely smirked with mirth in return.

"Careful of the hat, Ivan," Victor advised from his place formerly behind Michelle and Arthur, Annalise by his side and behind Lukas, who stood next to Michelle.

"Yes, I know," said Ivan, letting them go and looking down at Michelle. "I can't say you've grown since last I've seen you, Michelle."

"Yes, and you haven't changed much either, since last I saw you, Ivan," said Michelle, peaking from the small crack in her veil.

Ivan let out a small chuckle as he gazed down to Michelle's small form before turning toward Alfred. He smiled. "Hello," he said. "You must be the new King of Spades, little Alfred, yes?" A tick mark appeared on Alfred's head and Matthew sweat dropped, reaching out a hand to hold his brother's clinched fist while he smiled at the King of Clubs. "And you are little Matthew?" He strange violet gaze turned to Matthew. "The new Ace yes?"

Ivan reached out to Matthew and patted him on the shoulder, shocking the two brothers as he smiled brightly at them both. "Well done," he said. "You did something that I wasn't able to do." He looked back at Alfred. "Both of you. Although," he retrieved his hand back, "I will miss the late King and _Ace_ dearly." Ivan looked at the frowning Arthur, who narrowed his eyes at Ivan's words and mysterious smile.

Ivan turned back to Alfred. "Oh! Where are my manners," he said. "I am Ivan Stravinsky, the King of Clubs, and this," he motioned toward the woman next to him, "is my Queen."

"Elizabeta Hedervary," said the woman, bowing down. The others did the same in return.

"And I'm the Ace," the glasses man next to her spoke up. "Roderich Edelstein."

Alistair led the High Priestess up to the front and she bowed before the monarchs. "Irunya Chernenko, pleased to meet you," she said, and looked up at Arthur. "And I'm glade you finally decided to come back home, Arthur. I apologize for not being there to greet you, or do my duties as Alistair's wife very well." She looked up at her husband, who smiled back at her.

Arthur smiled. "It's all right," Arthur assured. "I understand the necessary of your leave." He glanced over to Ivan. "I'm just glade that you returned when the storm blew over."

"Yes," agreed Irunya. "And we have you to thank for that. If you hadn't come with the late King of Spades when you did…"

Arthur smiled and glanced toward the red-eyed youth next to the High Priestess. "Hey, Vlad," he greeted.

The man smiled. "Never thought I'd ever greet you like this," he remarked, before bowing formally. "Vladimir Lupei, Head Priest of Clubs and personal knight to the High Priestess, greets Spades' monarchy, Jack, Ace, and Dukes." He looked back up at Arthur. "By the way, this doesn't affect our-"

"If I can keep mine with Lukas, I'm sure I'll manage with you," said Arthur.

Vladimir smiled and glanced to the girl next to him, who was still glaring at Michelle, Arthur, Alfred, and Matthew.

"Come on, Natasha," Vladimir encouraged, pushing her forward. "Don't be embarrassed."

"Don't touch me, filth," the girl glared and slapped his hand away.

"Natasha!" Irunya scold. "He's your older brother."

Natasha merely glared at her in return. "Half," she growled out. "Half brother, born from a lowly war prisoner from Hearts whom father slept with." She pointed at him.

"Natasha," Ivan spoke up. "Sister. We are all half siblings."

Natasha looked up at Ivan and her expression changed to a softer one. "But not us, Big Brother," she said, advancing toward him. "We are closer than all of them. And that's why I think that we should get mar-"

Ivan sweat dropped, his smile seeming force as he quickly moved behind Arthur, who doesn't seemed shocked by this at all and continued to stare blankly at Natasha. "A-anyways, just introduce yourself, sister."

Natasha stopped and huffed before glaring at Alfred and Matthew, taking them by surprise and causing both to think that this girl was feisty.

But then, her poster suddenly changed and she seemed to be acting in a better manner than she had been, a manner befitting someone of highborn. "Natasha Arlovskaya," she bowed with grace and looked up, causing Alfred and Matthew's breath to hitch. "The Jack of Clubs."

"And this is my wife, Lien Chung," Yao spoke up in place of the stoic woman next to him. "Irunya's handmaiden."

"I'm Emil Steilsson," bowed the white haired youth. "A priest of Clubs."

"Did you come here to see me, Emil?" Lukas spoke up, cracking a rare smile at the boy. "Are you finally going to keep that promise and call me 'Big Brother' now?"

"No," Emil quickly denied, frowning deeper. "I only came to accompany the High Priestess, Lord Vlad, and Duke Seamus."

Finally, the last man stepped up and bowed. "Seamus Patrick Kirkland," he said. "One of the Four Dukes of Clubs. Pleasure to be back and greet the new Monarchs..." He tilted his head sideways in discomfort, his eyes on the floor.

Both Alfred and Matthew raised their eyebrows at the last name and glanced toward Arthur. The two Kirklands stared at each other for a moment.

"Welcome back Seamus," Victor spoke up, just to break the tension. "How long has it been now, since you've returned home?"

"Hey Kyle," Alistair called to one of the Knights present. "How old are you?"

"Do I really have to say it, Uncle?" Kyle yelled back.

"Uncle?" Seamus raised his eyebrows at that and looked to the stoic Arthur and the sweat dropping Victor.

"Yes."

Kyle sighed and replied, "23."

Alistair nodded. "He's been gone for 24 years," he answered Victor's question.

"Okay, which of you youngsters did it?" Seamus questioned his brothers. "And how come you didn't tell me?"

"It wasn't us," Arthur blankly stated, his eyes set on Seamus.

"What?" said Seamus, mixed between the feeling of shock and confusion.

Arthur sighed and turned to Ivan. "Anywho, Ivan," he said.

"Hmm?" Ivan turned toward him.

"Is it really all right to bring both your Jack and the Duke in charge of the Military here with you?" he questioned.

"Yes, Big Brother," Ivan smiled. "Toris is taking care of the military for us."

Arthur sweat dropped. "Are you sure he's-"

"If Hearts could pull it off, Clubs can too," Ivan stubbornly defended.

Arthur sighed. "All right," he said. "If you say so. Why don't we go in now? I'm sure that all of you must be tired from the long voyage across the sea."

And they went inside for some tea and rest. However, Berwald excused himself to go check on the trainee, while Lukas dragged an unwilling Emil off with him, with the excuse of having a brotherly bonding time, that seemed to have made Arthur flinch in pain, and the Church to check on things and show him around, much to the younger boy's colorful words of protest, despite his statue as a priest, which lukas happily scold him for. Jia Long, Alfred, and Matthew went back to work while Yao and Alistair took their respective wife home, Michelle going along with Alistair and taking Annalise and Victor with her.

Before Arthur could leave though, Ivan called him over and the others took note of the fact that Ivan wanted to speak with Arthur alone and in private, with only Vladimir accompanying them. Alfred was not too sure about that, but Michelle told him to let them go, saying that nothing bad will happen, and Alfred agreed. But that still did not stop him from worrying though.

"Relax Alfred," said Matthew, standing next to Alfred, who sat in front of a desk. "Michelle said that they'd be fine. Besides, you've noticed their relationship, haven't you? I don't think the King of Clubs will do anything to Arthur."

"Yeah, but still," Alfred narrowed his eyes. "I can't help but worry, Mattie. Especially considering those two's reputation… And there's something off about them. Something about those two from Clubs… Something dark."

"It might just be due to their past histories, Alfred," Matthew defended. "You know how bloody it was."

"Yeah, but… this doesn't feel normal, Mattie…" The image of Arthur, his eyes sad, turning around and walking away into the unknown darkness suddenly entered Alfred's mind, and he narrowed his eyes. "It just doesn't feel right…" He held a hand to his heart, the place that Alfred's insignia of the King of Spades, which was carved upon his body since birth, resigned.

* * *

Arthur and Ivan sat opposite from each other in one of the many rooms within the palace. Vladimir stood beside Ivan, being the only other person present in the room with them.

"So, what is it you want to talk about with me that you can't say in front of the others?" Arthur questioned.

Ivan lost his smile. "It's back," he said.

"What?" Arthur looked confused.

"The famine," Ivan clarified. "It's back."

Arthur's face paled over. "W-what?" Ivan nodded. "But- but that can't be," said Arthur. "The Compass. You froze the Compass, so-"

"I thought that too, but it's not the case anymore," said Ivan. "16 years… that's how long it lasted. Ahhh." Ivan seemed stressed as he placed his hands on his face, his eyes closed. "I don't know what to do anymore, Big Brother. At this rate… if this keeps up- if it gets any worse than this and-…" He looks down at his hands, tears forming in his eyes.

"Ivan, Ivan," Arthur kneeled in front of him. "It's okay, it's okay. Don't cry." He brought the big child in for a huge. "We'll fix it. We'll find a way to fix it without having to resort to that. I promise, you won't have to do that again… none of us will have to do such a thing ever again…" His eyes darkened over.

"Have you checked on the Clock yet, Arthur?" Vladimir spoke up, helping his King back into his chair.

Arthur nodded. "It hasn't shown any signs of bloodlust yet, but it has moved. By one minute… Though I don't think there's any need to worry. For now, we should just fix your mess. We have to come up with a way to break this to the others without giving everything away."

The two nodded. "This is why we wanted to tell you first," said Vlad, then he looked around the room. "By the way, I don't see that black cat with you." He looked back at Arthur. "Where is he?"

"I don't know," Arthur replied, standing up. "Where's Ivan's white one?"

"Gone," said Ivan. "Teacher left one day, leaving Raivis behind."

Arthur smirked. "And how is Raivis?"

Ivan pouted and grabbed hold of Arthur's coat. "Taking care of a child is harder than your own little brother," he said. "And keeping his ties to you a secret from others is even harder to cover up… I don't know how you-." Ivan took in a deep breath and smiled warmly. "I really admire you, Big Brother."

Arthur smiled. "I'm sure that he'll understand soon enough, Ivan. But remember, he's not Dimitri."

Ivan nodded.

"By the way, Arthur," Vladimir spoke up. "Have you noticed anything off? With anyone?"

"Well, Lukas and Yao seemed suspicious of me. I guess those in possession of a tarot card are able to tell… though, unlike the Frog, they're not doing anything about it, yet. So I don't think there's anything to worry about. For now, I'll continue on as I've always have been," Arthur answered. "Though, Diamonds is a bit worry some, but I don't want to see that Frog's face again so soon, especially after I've escape another hose arrest, so I'll let it go. Besides, someone's already on it, and thus I don't feel the need to do anything about it yet. For now, let's focus on your problem. Is there anything else you would like to tell me? Aside from the famine slowly starting up again?"

Vladimir and Ivan glanced at each other, a deep frown on the faces, before they worriedly turned back to Arthur.

* * *

The door cracked open. Alfred and Matthew looked up from their work to find Victor walking up.

"Victor," said Alfred. "You're here? Is Michelle back?"

"No," Victor answered. "I just finished dropping her off and came back to pick up Vlad. But since he's still with Artie and Ivan, I thought I'd come here instead."

"Oh," said Alfred, looking a little sad. "So they're still not finished…"

"Are you worried Alfred?" Victor observed, a sly smile on his face.

Alfred looked up. "No! Not at all," he denied, "What makes you say that?"

Victor covered his laugh with a small cough while Matthew merely sweet dropped at his brother's obviousness. "Never mind," he said. "Tell me Alfred, how much do you know about the people around you and the ones you've just met today?"

"The people around me?" Alfred questioned. "You mean like, the Ace, Jack, and Dukes?"

Victor nodded. "And us of the Clergy, of course."

"Well, I obviously know about Mattie and Alistair," said Alfred. "And you're obviously Michelle's retainer, along with her handmaiden, Annalise. Not only that, but personal wise, you are Alistair's younger brother, along with Arthur and that new guy, Seamus." Victor nodded. "By the way, what's-… Can you tell me a little about you guys? Alistair doesn't really talk all that much about his family life. Heck, today's the first time I met his wife, whom I didn't even know is the High Priestess of Clubs, or that he even had one!"

Matthew rolled his eyes. "Of course he has one, Al," he said. "How else would Joshua be here if he doesn't?"he pointed out.

"I don't know," said Alfred.

Victor smirked in amusement as he looked down at Alfred. "All right. I'll tell you," he agreed and a chaired appeared for him to sit down on. "Seems you're getting use to the layouts of this place now." He looked at Alfred.

"A little," Alfred replied.

"After your carnation, the palace will listen to you more." Victor closed his eyes. "At any rate… Our relationship…" He stared off into the sky outside the window. "Alfred, do you know of our family's reputation?"

"Well, I know that Alistair's pretty renowned for his fighting abilities and strength. People say that he should've been a Knight or the Duke in charge of the military instead of politics." He laughs. "And I agree."

Victor let out a small laugh. "That's true," he agreed. "If it wasn't due to heritage, and the fact that mother left us at such a young age, Alistair would've become a Knight instead. But then again, Artie was usually the one who took care of the politics when he was around, so we didn't really have to do much."

"Wait, what do you mean Arthur took care of the politics?"

"Isn't that supposed to be Alistair's job?" Matthew spoke up. "As the eldest and the one who inherited the title after the Duchess?"

"It is," said Victor. "But brother passed them on to Artie as a way of bullying him. So Artie ended up doing all the work, and that's now he became so close to the King, ah... late King. Close enough that he threatened the Ace's position back then, and was targeted many times. Not that he wasn't before…" Victor whispered the last part out, his eyes trailing off to the side.

"Arthur was close to the late King?" Matthew asked, shocked.

Victor nodded. "They were the closest of friends," he said. "But then something happened to the King and Arthur left. After that, the King ordered for Michelle to find him."

 _'He betrayed me first,'_ the words of the late king rang out in Alfred's mind, causing him to widen his eyes at the possibility.

"As for Seamus…" Victor's eyes sadden over at this. "He ran away… to Clubs. And he stayed with our grandmother's family and somehow ended up as the Duke after both successors of the family became unable to…"

"Why were they unable to, Victor?" Matthew asked, curious.

Victor took a deep breath. "… You know about the war in Clubs, right Alfred?"

"You mean, that failed rebellion that they called… What was it, Mattie?" He looked to Matthew for help.

"The Bloody Rebellion," Matthew answered grimly.

Victor nodded. "The Duke went up against Ivan and Ivan killed him and exiled his brother, so no one was left to take over and the title was passed on to the next in line, who happens to be Seamus, at the time, since he is the second eldest of us four Kirkland brothers."

"Oh."

Matthew gulped. "Why did Seamus run away, Victor?" he finally asked the question that had been bugging him.

"… He hated Artie." Victor seemed sad while the boys were shocked. "He didn't like Artie. Artie always had mother's attention, since he was the youngest and most talented of us all. We all bullied him. And even though I didn't do as much as the others, I still didn't try to help him… But Seamus…" He sighed tirely, shaking his head a bit. "His hatred for Artie was worse then any one of us, because he blames our father's death on Artie. But it wasn't Artie's fault…" He shook his head at the memory and took in a deep breath. "Seamus snapped 24 years ago, when Alistair and I decided to accept Artie and play nice with him… Our relationship hasn't been the same since." Victor sighed in dismay before looking up at the boys and smiled. "So, what else do you know?"

"Lukas and Berwald's family are close," said Matthew. "They have a long history of marriage with each other, so they'll constantly intertwined."

"So wait," Alfred spoke up. "Like… married to your cousin?"

"Yes. Something along that line."

Alfred made a face at that and Victor laughed while Matthew hit him. "Yes, well it didn't really work out all that will with Lukas' father," he said. "You noticed the boy from Clubs, yes? The white haired one?" The boys nodded. "Well, he is Lukas' half brother, born from his father's mistress from Clubs. Following traditions doesn't always work…" Victor shook his head at the memory of his late aunt.

"What of Michelle?" questioned Matthew, curious, for he, and almost everyone else, had no personal knowledge and background history on her at all.

Victor gave a small smile. "She is an orphan from the southern island of Spades. After her family died in a rail, she was captured by slave traders and became a maid at our house. That's how she and Artie knew each other…" He smiled fondly at the memory, but then sighed in weariness. "But then the former High Priestess… Michelle became the next High Priestess and we covered up her…" his eyes trailed off to the side. "Past…" the boys understood the unsaid words in between the pauses. To know something like that would've been a huge scandal and many of the people may not accept Michelle and give her a hard life. However, her power was needed. Victor looked back up at them. "So, what of Yao?"

The brothers looked at each other, at a lost on that one also. "Well," Alfred spoke up. "I think I saw a lot of people with the Wang last name in the medical, teaching, and military flied…?" He seemed a bit unsure.

Victor nodded. "His family is renowned for that," he said. "Not to mention they really know the market well, and how to handle it. Their family produced a lot of great people, I don't deny that."

"How did he meet his wife?" Matthew questioned, curious.

"The same way Alistair met his," said Victor, letting out a small laugh. "By accident while out. Yao was patrolling around the coast and saw Lien wash up after her merchant ship was attacked."

"Merchant?" said Matthew.

Victor nodded. "She was a merchant before she became Iruyna's handmaiden. Actually, the two got to know each other here and Lien returned with Irunya, as her handmaiden."

"And what of Mrs. Irunya?"

"Elder brother met her in the woods, bleeding and unconscious." Seeing the boys' face, Victor elaborated, "She ran away from the guards while visiting Spades and faked her own death. You know that she is the elder sister of Ivan, yes?"

"That's why she ran?" Alfred asked, an eyebrow raised.

Victor nodded. "She couldn't take it anymore… the cruelty her own little brother, her once innocent little brother, was inflicting upon their people. She couldn't take seeing anymore deaths within the country, and that's probably why she became the next High Priestess when the old one was..."

"Who was the original duke of the military and High Priestess of Clubs?" Matthew asked.

"It's actually high Priest, but..." Victor shifted uncomfortably in his seat, looking every which way. "It's taboo to speak their names, so moving on," he said, causing disappointment to wash over Matthew, who had always been curious about this topic ever since Gilbert brought it up once in conversation, but then had quickly dropped it as if his life depended on it.

Matthew's gaze saddened over. _"Oh Gilbert...'_ he thought. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath to prevent his tears from flowing once more. Even now, Matthew still slept on a salty, wet pillow every night.

"Irunya," Victor continued, "is the daughter of the former King of Club's and his first wife, the late Queen. Ivan's mother became the new Queen after her death. There's also Vladimir, Ivan's younger brother by only a few days after him. His mother was a war prisoner from Hearts, but she wasn't just any prisoner. She was the former High Priestess of Heats, and she was taken there with the current High Priest of Hearts. She died right after Vlad was born and Ivan's kind-hearted mother raised the children in their mothers' place… Then there's Natasha, the little sister born from the late King of Club's third Queen, Ivan's own aunt- his mother's younger sister. And because of that, Natasha thinks the two of them should marry to straighten the family line. Due to that obsessed love of hers, she killed Dimitri, another child born from a mistress, and the youngest of them all. Ivan was furious when he learnt that Natasha had provoked their father to kill Dimitri, but he kept his promise with his dead mother to take care of his siblings and love them, so he didn't punish her. Instead, he's thinking of marrying her off to his favorite knight, Toris, and get her out of his hair, I think."

"Wow, what a family," Alfred commented.

Victor laughed. "Yeah," he agreed. "It's even worse then ours… anyway, what else? Ah yes, the current Queen and Ace of Clubs… They're married, you know.'

"They are?" asked Alfred.

Victor nodded. "They are. They grew up together. The Queen used to serve as a maid to the Edelstein dukedom. And she took care of Heart's current High Priest too." He looked to Matthew. "She had him dressed as a girl just as Alistair did you, Matthew. And from what I heard, he even managed to get the former duke of the military to fall in love with him too. The two even made a promise to each other before parting…"

Victor noticed Matthew's sadness at the similarities between himself and the two, and stopped talking. "By the way," he changed the topic. "Do you know who Kyle's father is?"

"Isn't that you?" asked Alfred.

Victor laughed. "No," he said. "My son is Vincent or Albert, if you want to go with his middle name..." He glanced down with a bit of sadness in his eyes. "And besides, Artie already said it. It's not us."

Alfred and Matthew's eyes widened. "No way."

"Yep," Victor said happily. "And he doesn't even know it yet."

"Do you plan on telling him?" asked Matthew.

"Of course," said Victor. "We're having dinner at the Kirkland mansion later tonight, and we want Artie to be there too. Is that alright with you, Alfred?"

"Why are you asking me?' said Alfred. "Arthur can do whatever he wants."

Victor smiled. "I see." He got up. "So then, I only need to worry about how I'm going to drag Artie back to the mansion with me…"

"Oh?" A gleam appeared in Alfred's eyes. "You want my help?"

Victor looked back at the young ruler and smiled. "That would be much appreciated, your highness."

* * *

After the three finished their talk and exited the room, Alfred, Matthew, and Victor, who told him that they were talking him to the Kirkland mansion, ganged up Arthur on, much to his struggles and protested shouts. In the end, Arthur was tied up and thrown into a carriage along with Seamus, whom Vladimir was nice enough to wrap him in red ribbons as well.

By showing his powers to control red ribbons, Vladimir revealed that he and Ivan held a tarot card each, and Ivan told them that his Queen had the third card. Alfred and Matthew also learnt that nations with close relations to each other tend to share these secrets with one another and so, Clubs knew which tarot cards Spades has and who has them, but doesn't fully know the power of some of the cards.

The two showed them their cards, with Vladimir's card being card number XVIII "The Moon". The picture he had was of him dressed in a red coat and hat, donning a black cape on his back and the picture of the full moon shining in the darkness behind him. In one of his hands, he held a gold staff while the other held an open book. Around him were red ribbon and flower petals flowing in the wind, and decorating the corners were black bats and white spider webs.

Even though they were invited to come along, Vladimir and Ivan declined going with them, saying that they were tired and would like to get some rest for tomorrow's carnation- which had Arthur shouting again. However, they asked that someone fill them in on how the night went later and the carriage was off, carrying the three Kirkland brothers with it.

As it turned out, the dinner at the Kirkland house had been very interesting, as Seamus tried hard to mend their relationship, and succeeded. But he didn't get to celebrate long, as the bomb was finally dropped on him and his face paled over once he found out that Kyle was his son. The son born to his lover, Helen, whom he left behind in his hast to escape off to Clubs. Now he finally understood why she begged him not to go and what it was she wanted to talk with him about the night before he left her. But it was too late now, though, as he was never going to see Helen ever again and from the looks of it, it doesn't seem as though his own son has accepted him yet. And even though Arthur forgave him and they made peace, he still had no idea how to help Seamus with his family problem and only told him to go after Kyle and talk it out. Arthur didn't fine out how that had ended, as he, Michelle, Victor, and Annalise had to return to the palace and get some rest after that. However, from what they saw at the carnation, it seemed to have gone well.

"He's always had a good luck," said Arthur, turning his gaze away from Seamus and Kyle as he and Alfred walked up to Michelle, who waited for them in front of the sacred altar in the Cathedral.

Everyone stood up as they entered and bowed down before Michelle, who, after making them pledge their loyalty to the country, finally crowned them.

After the crowing, the two monarchs approached the sacred treasure of their country, the Grandfather Cloak. They bowed before it and reached out a hand to touch it, saying their name and their position out loud to the Cloak to have it recognized them fully.

The people waited with bathed breath and finally, the Cloak rang out and the people's face broke out into smiles of delight. However, what was even more surprising was the fact that the Cloak had moved two more minutes forward, now reading 1:09. Everyone was shocked by that and some cheered at the concept of the Cloak finally working again, saying that the pervious King's curse was finally lifting, little by little.

Alfred was also happy, but when he turned to look at Arthur's face, he wondered why he only saw dread and horror there. And Arthur was not the only one, Matthew noticed that Annalise almost fell to the ground, had Victor not caught her, and Michelle also looked quite pale while Alistair had a deep frown on his face. Ivan, Victor, and Vladimir seemed to be faking a smile and clapping, while Yao seemed confused at the strange feeling he felt upon seeing the cloak move. Not only him, but the remaining three dukes of Spades, despite appearing stoic still, also had the same feeling of dread and Irunya made to grab onto Ivan for either support of herself, or fear of something happening. Her eyes was gazed over as if she was seeing something, and it was breaking her apart to see it as she hide herself behind her younger brother's scarf.

After the crowing was finished, Matthew stepped up to the two monarchs and bowed before them. He pledged his loyalty to them and promised to serve and advised them to the best of his abilities, saying that he will not let them become astray. After that, he had to pledge to the Clock and be recognized by it's ringing once more. Once finished, Alfred proudly laid his sword upon Matthew's shoulders and declared him the new, rightfully recognized Ace of Spades.

Later that night, Michelle pulled Alfred out of the celebration party for a moment.

"What is it, Michelle?" he asked. "Why did you drag me here?"

Michelle glanced toward Arthur, who was currently dancing with the Queen of Clubs. She had caught Alfred after he had danced with an unwilling Natasha, who sought after her hiding brother.

Arthur and Alfred had started off the dance, having to waltz together and Alfred stepping on Arthur's foot one time too many, to Michelle's great amusement, as Victor relay the scene to her, and Arthur's great annoyance.

Alfred frowned. "And you can take off the hat, you know," he said, reaching over and taking off Michelle's hat. Michelle reached after it, but due to height difference, she was at a disadvantage and once again cursed Arthur silently in her head. "That's better." Alfred smiled as he folded the cloth on the hat. "Now, what were you saying?"

Michelle huffed and turned away, looking out into the dark forest illuminated by the night sky. Giving up, she said, "Alfred, I've noticed that your relationship with Arthur is going great lately, and I'm glade for that. But…" She looked back and took hold of Alfred's hand, her eyes softening up at him and causing him to blush. "Please, please, do not get too close to him." Alfred was shocked. "Please, heed my advise, do not get too close to the Queen of Spades, least you want to end up like the Kings before you." And she took that time to grab her hat back, put it on, and fled back into the crowd, leaving a confused Alfred behind.

Later that night, instead of heading to bed like he should, Alfred went to the library and looked up old histories on Spades' monarchy. He stayed there all night long, reading up on old historical documents.

* * *

"Great. This is just great. You just had to tell him, didn't you, love?" said Arthur, looking at the mirrored reflection of Alfred seriously reading in the library.

"I had to," said Michelle. "I don't want history to repeat itself again." Her eyes saddened over.

Arthur turned back toward her and made his way up the few steps to the altar that she rested on.

"It was all my fault back then," she said. "Sixteen years ago. I killed them, all of them." Tears fell down her face.

Arthur sat down next to her and brought her into a hug. "No love," he said. "It wasn't your fault then. None of it was your fault."

"But it was, Arthur," she said. "I made him kill them. If I had just- if I'd known-"

"Then what Michelle!" Arthur looked into her eyes, his gaze serious as he searched her painful ones. "Then what? What would happen? He would still have killed them." He hugged her again. "You should've listen to me when I told you that I'll find a way. You should've."

Michelle whimpered. "But you didn't fine a way out, Arthur," she pointed out. "You didn't. The Cloak is moving again. It's moving again." She sobbed harder.

"Don't worry," he said. "This time, I'll definitely figure something out. I won't let you die.' He hugged her tighter. "I won't let any one of us die. I promise." He kissed her head.

"… I miss them, Arthur," said Michelle. "Even though I couldn't save the other dukes, I could've at least prevented their deaths… if it wasn't because of me, Albert and Victoria… even Elizabeth! If it wasn't for me, they won't have-"

"It wasn't your fault, and I think he would've killed them in his fury anyways. You know how hard it is to stop him without her around."

"I know that, but still…" Michelle pushed away from Arthur and looked into his eyes. "It was my fault. If I'd known. If I had just... just gone with them, if I'd just let them take me instead of running away with Albert, Victoria and her baby won't have died too! Her unborn baby! And Albert wouldn't have died protecting me! And Elizabeth won't have to-! It's all my fault." She cried harder at the memory.

Arthur sighed and brought her closer. "No," he said. "No. It wasn't your fault. It was mine. I swished place with Albert. I told him to stay with you and Victoria, and that I would go to Diamonds in his place, that I would advise the King to the best of my abilities. If you want to blame anyone, then blame me. I let my emotions win over logic. I was the one in the wrong, even though I knew. I knew, but I didn't tell you until the end." His hands shook as he hugged her close. "I'm sorry. It was my fault that they all died. I was the one who asked them to watch over you. If I hadn't done that, if I hadn't let my emotions regarding her death consume me…" Tears fell down his face and Michelle gripped the back of his coat tighter as they cried together for the sins they've both committed in the past. "If I had stopped the King instead of helping him… then none of this would've happened."

* * *

"Alfred?"

Alfred looked up to find Matthew standing over him. "Oh, hey Matt," he said, before returning to the book in his hand.

"What's all of this?" Matthew asked, looking around the room to find books, scrolls and papers littered about everywhere. He looked down at his brother. "Have you been here this entire time, Al? Have you even slept?"

"No, but look at this Mattie," Alfred showed him the book.

Matthew looked at it. "It's the history of the monarchy," he said. "What about it?"

"It's strange," said Alfred. "All the Queens die before the King. And after their death, unless the King finds a new Queen, he usually dies right after."

"Oh, that is strange," said Matthew. "But what brought this on, Al?"

Alfred took the book out of Matthew's hand. "Last night," he said, his eyes saddening. "Michelle said something to me. She warned me… about getting too close to the Queen." He closed the book. "I've been trying to find the reason why the Queen dies before the King, but no matter where I look, I don't find anything." He looked at Matthew. "I think someone's keeping something from us, Mattie. The more I read, the more I find informations missing from the texts." He looked down at the book in his hand. "Like they've been erased or blocked out. In some books, I've even found pages ripped from it. Others have too strong a spell on them for me to break."

"You think something's up…?" asked Matthew, his eyes narrowed as he remembered back to Gilbert's words once more.

"Yeah," said Alfred. "There has to be more to this than what's written. Than what we know. The Queens couldn't have simply died of disease overnight. Nor could all of them have been bedridden and in poor heath the entire time. That kind of Queen… there's no way… No way the others would just pressure me to find a Queen if the Queen was going to be useless. Something has to be up…"

Matthew stayed silent for a moment, thinking on it, before his eyes widened as he remembered something. "There's no time to be thinking about that, we're late!" he said, grabbing Alfred's hand and taking him by surprise as he dragged him out the room. "You have to change and attend court meeting!"

Alfred's eyes widened. He'd completely forgotten about that. "Oh crap! Arthur's gonna to be so pissed!" And he reversed their potion, running full speed ahead and dragging the shocked faced Matthew along with him.


End file.
